So I've been sewing...

I've been highly unmotivated, but I've managed to start tackling a few projects I've had in progress for...we'll just say I've been putting them off for a while now.

Lesa came down this weekend and the girls got to enjoy Grandma time, and we got a quick little sewing project done. I saw these on Pinterest and decided to make Little Man something cute. It was super, super easy, and they turned out adorable.

I used a flannel material for the fabric along with basic Gerber prefold diapers from Target, so they are super soft and will be great for burp rags.

I also started on the advent calendar for my girls. I made one last year for my niece and nephew but never got around to making one for my own kids. My great-grandmother made one of these for us when we were little and I loved it, but somewhere along the way it got loaned to someone else and lost. I handmade the ornaments last year and matched a Bible verse, but I stumbled across these on Pinterest and am going order these and modify them a bit (A few verses are Mormon scriptures, so I'll just change those up a bit.) Short of picking up a few more felt numbers, adding a dowel and ribbon to the top to hang it and sewing to the tree a little ric-rac for decorations and buttons to hang the ornaments, I'm done with this way ahead of schedule.

I made it a bit topsy tervy on purpose. Sewing all that felt perfectly straight was just too much pressure. ;) I think it makes it a bit whimsical for Christmas.

I whipped these up today on photoshop today. I was going to order ones on Etsy to iron on shirts for the girls to wear to the hospital when I realized I could make them myself. Duh! I'll just have to print them on transfer paper and iron them on some shirts. I can't wait for Little Man to arrive and I know the girls are going to love wearing these. I made ones for my niece and nephew too for when their little sister arrives. Yay for two little blessings for our family.

Don't be too impressed with my progress though. I've had fabric to make dresses for the girls for over a year. In fact, it is probably more like a year and a half. I have more patterns than I know what to do with too. I'm really, really hoping I can buckle down and make dresses for the girls soon. I'm thinking I'll follow this tutorial instead of one of the basic patterns I have because it is just way cuter. If I can just get over the overwhelmed feeling and start tackling it, I might actually get it done. Am I the only one who gets too overwhelmed to even start?

Anyone else crafting for Christmas or just in general? I've got a few other things on the list for Christmas gifts, but those are super secret. :)

Letters made FUN!

For the record, Pinterest is not the devil. In fact, I love it. It, along with a million other things, is about how I use it and let it affect me. (Someone please tell me I used effect vs affect correctly? It always drives me crazy, and just when I think I have it down, I get myself all confused. Shae? Mollyanne? Someone???) So, I love Pinterest though I have to limit my time on there and, more importantly, have to recognize that pinning a million things that I'll never have the time/energy/money to do is pointless no matter how cute/awesome/beautiful it is.

On that note, I ran across a fun little letter match-up on there but didn't pin it. Later I went back and searched for an idea and made these cute little big and little letter match-up. The girls LOVE it. We had fun sitting at the table making them one afternoon, and best of all, they sit and do them together. Kayleigh helps Campbell with the ones she doesn't know, and I especially love anything that involves sweet sister time.

I didn't use a template or anything. I just drew one up on cardstock and cut away, but I'm sure you could easily find one. Let me add, I am making huge progress in my Type A perfectionism. Me winging it and just whipping it up would never, and I mean never, have happened just a few years ago. I just love how my kids change me and help me let go. :)

Now if I would just order this laminating machine on Amazon we'd be good to go. It is on my "to buy for school" list for next month though. I'm hoping they don't get too much wear before then. Is it sad I'm dreaming of all the things I'm going to laminate??? I love homeschooling...most days. ;)

And just for the sake of a cute picture or three... 

Disclaimer: We were not driving. ;) I promise she is buckled when we drive.

How to not blow it...

A friend posted a link to this article. I love, love, loved it! Seriously...I LOVED it. Sometimes we let exhaustion, kids, stress, a busy schedule, a pregnancy, sickness, and a litany of other things be excuses for letting ourselves go with our spouse. We get lazy. We don't make them a priority. We just let ourselves be the unfiltered, icky version sometimes, while we muster up enough grace, smiles and energy for the rest of the world. If only you could see me hanging my head in shame as I type this. Guilty. As. Charged.

For that reason, I absolutely love little reminders (or a kick in the pants...whatever works) to get it together. He deserves it. My kids deserve a mom who puts work into her marriage. As we skip along in our 7th year of marriage, I am determined to make Brett feel as loved today as He felt the day I said "I do."

If you know me well, you know that I am in a constant quest to grow, learn and be a better version of myself. I'm just a student by nature, so I am so inspired and motivated by things like this. I hope you are too!

I mean seriously...isn't he worth it? :) Just as handsome today as he was 7 years ago, though I am shocked at how young we looked at our wedding. Are we really getting that old??? OK, don't answer that.

Perfection

As the end of this pregnancy draws near, I am fighting through exhaustion and heartburn and indigestion and aches (You know all the yucky stuff that isn't the end of the world but just makes you feel "ugh" day in and day out but you feel bad complaining about because you are being blessed with such an amazing gift? Yeah...that stuff.) to be the Mommy I want to be to my girls. My patience is a little shorter. My energy is a lot less, and my motivation comes in brief spurts. It is days like this that I have to remind myself that it isn't being the picture perfect Mommy every second of every day that matters, it is the big picture that counts. It is making memories that will last a lifetime. It is choosing our words and, more importantly, our tone of voice carefully. It is just being there, even if "there" includes an exhausted, lazy, snuggle up and watch movies kind of day.

With Pinterest and Facebook and a multitude of other influences, we have put extremely unattainable expectations on ourselves. I get down about not making that cool holiday craft or baking those adorable treats for every occasion or decorating their room like it could be in a magazine. Sometimes I just need a reminder that it is so much more simple than that. Sometimes in my attempt to do it all, I lose focus on what I should be focused on. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has lost my temper while making an adorable craft/cookie/thing and totally took over to try to do it "right". Maybe I am, but I'll pretend I'm not so I don't feel so bad, mkay? I'm not saying we don't have lots of great moments where we make great memories and do cool things and everyone has a good time. I just know that I sometimes stress about the wrong things or push too hard to "do it all."

It is in these times that a day of snuggling and just relaxing together helps me refocus and energizes me in my parenting. I'm convinced a lot of this kind of bonding is way more important than a cute painting to hang on the wall or an adorable, perfectly decorated cupcake to gobble up. I'm reminded that just being there is all they need.

So as I muddle through the exhaustion that comes with pregnancy and a new baby, I'm going to try to remember to slow down and focus on the important things...like snuggling as we sleep in, reading books and watching movies in our jammies all day, giving lots of hugs and kisses, playing a game or two, actually listening to them and choosing my words wisely. I'm going to spend a lot less time worried about what I could be doing to make their childhood perfect and just be the mom I am.

Because in their eyes, I'm pretty perfect...

And...we're back!

We are back from a wonderful, amazing, perfect trip back "home." I have so many pictures to edit, and we did so much I think it will take me a month (or more) to catch-up. We are also back from the sad world of no computer! Yay! I was having picture editing withdrawal. All of my photos sat lonely and unloved on my camera until we replaced the computer damaged from two monsters. :) My amazing husband bought me a new, awesome iMac though. So...we are back! I'm working on a long post complete with pictures to sum up a long, busy trip back home.

In the meantime, here's a picture from our trip yesterday to the pumpkin patch. We have such beautiful, sweet little girls. I can't wait to meet our little man soon too! We are so, very blessed. :)