So... Weekly installments?

I'm juggling a lot right now, but keeping all the balls in the air! Keeping Biology lessons in order, so my sub can figure it all out come January. Trying to keep my wits about me with a few of my little 9th graders in Intro to Bio. Getting jobs lined up for the house construction (yay for cabinets... that one is my responsibility!). Managing activities and homework and housework and grading. Definitely struggling with that last one!

Anyway, so for now, I am going to commit to a once-a-week update. Just a quick belly shot and house update. I take these pics after church on Sundays. Since these were taken, the siding has started to go up. Soon, I'll be taking pics inside for the updates! Fun!

(ignore the hair, rainy August days are not nice to me)

25 weeks! It's going by so fast!

Time Warp

So, last Sunday, I launched the blog, made some last minute preparations to return to school, and had no idea how quickly everything was going to start unfolding...

Thursday was my scheduled check up with an ultrasound, which confirmed two things. 1. I have placenta praevia, and I'm quite freaked out by that, and 2. I'm not 21 weeks pregnant, but rather, I'm 24 weeks, TODAY. Holy cow! So, I just had a mini time warp. I went from being at the half way point, with 20 weeks left of preparation, to the startling thought that possibly in just 12 weeks I'm going to be a new mama! Do you even realize how much I had to do in those 8 weeks?!

I'm definitely not going to be in this baby before maternity leave... but check out the doors and windows that were installed just a few days after that first post. I'm so excited about how it's coming together. Slowly but surely, it's going to be a comfy and relaxed home before I know it!

Happy Monday! I'm off to teach some Biology... Wahoo!

What is the Best Part of Going back to School...

The school supplies, of course! I love getting new pens and markers and crayons and, well, you get the picture. Kindergarten supply lists are even more fun with coffee filters (for snacks), plates (for crafts), and plenty of construction paper. I cannot wait to see the projects that come home!

By the way, I had no idea how much space the school supplies for two kids would take up in my living room! Maybe I won't shop so early next year! Ha! You know I can't stay away from those great sales at Office Depot.

(the book bags are already filled with supplies here)

SO, anyway, after getting everything situated I realized I needed to find some way to get all this stuff to school on the first day. This is where I should mention that Brodie's teacher was Liv's teacher a few years ago (and we love her!), and Liv's assistant teacher was her a.t. in Kindergarten and has since moved to 2nd grade (we are thrilled!!!). I decided to make some fun bags to get the supplies to school, and then to give the bags to the teachers as back to school happies. Who doesn't love a happy?

I found the chevron duck cloth at Hobby Lobby. My friend, Leslie, used the same duck cloth in this cute project. At the beginning of summer, I picked up some of this fabric knowing that I could use it in the baby's space (everything is grey, white, and yellow). Then, when I came up with the idea for the bags, I knew the canvas weight fabric would be just perfect! I used a paper grocery bag from the commisary as the pattern for the bag, then added a few inches all around for good measure. 

I was thrilled with the outcome. Trey didn't really have an opinion on them... until he had to carry them in on the first day! (I can't believe I didn't get a pic of him carrying them out to the car, he was so cute)

Thank you Mrs. R, Mrs. E, Miss J, and Mrs. B! We are looking forward to a great year!!!

Keeping Tradition...

My sweet friend, Cristin, got me started with the fun tradition of presenting each of my children with a fun new pillowcase the night before school begins each fall. Her projects have always inspired me to savor these sweet days. She is a frequent blogger, and I can't find the post with pillowcases :( You should go check out all the fun crafts and traditions she fills her home with! I have access to pretty much the cutest fabric, and this has been something I continue to look forward to each year. I was somewhat surprised to find that my littlest looked forward to it even more than me. You see, this is the year he entered Kindergarten. Shortly after pre-K graduation, I heard him telling someone that he is finally getting a school pillowcase! While the lady at the fabric shoppe had no clue what that meant, it made me so happy that I picked up this tradition two years ago!

I found this year's fabric at a new"ish" shoppe in Gautier, called Block Therapy. Such a fun place to shop. Bro man's fabric is from the Punctuation collection by Sandy Klopp for Moda Fabrics. It just screams "Kindergarten is the Best!" (Don't you agree?)

When I saw the iHeart collection by Rashida Coleman-Hale for Timeless Treasures, I knew exactly what it would be perfect for... my little girl who loves robots and gadgets and such! The coordinating fabrics were amazing, and Joan (the shoppe owner) had just scored a major deal on the newest trims from Riley Blake Fabrics! She let me dig through the box in the back room to find exactly what I needed... She's so great!

 

 

My mother is the master of all things sewing related. I trust her with all of my monogramming needs. The price is right and the work is impeccable! The kids seem very happy with the result... though the pillows are a bit too big. I swear I did not make the pillowcases too small. It's just that when I went to walmart, the standard pillows looked so tiny, and the queen sized pillows looked right. I'm wrong, a lot, I can admit it. They are huge! And if the kids can actually lay on them for a whole night without rolling off (they are quite log like) they might even compact over time!

20 Weeks

 So, it wasn't completely necessary, but I figured that I would go ahead and start fresh. I've been the absolute worst blogger ever, but I can get a second chance, right? Maybe it would have made for sense for me to start this venture at the beginning of the summer, rather than the end, but no one's judging my sensibility (I hope).

A little update for those of you who don't know the craziness I've found myself in these days... I'm going back to work this Wednesday (Yay! for Biology), We finally started construction on the "big" house (anything is bigger than the one bedroom pool house we've occupied for the last six years), Brodie is starting Kindergarten, Liv is a Second Grader, and we're starting all over again in December. The 20th, so the doctor says, hence the title of this post... 20 Weeks! Yep, already halfway there. I was never really good about taking pics of the baby bump before, so I'm going to sart with that goal. I thought it would be fun to document the growing belly right along with the construction of the "big" house. So, here we are on the front porch of the house. The overhang is new this week, and the door opening is just about right!