Getting Caught Up!

I have certainly felt busy this past week even though I really haven't accomplished much. A few trips out to post to check the mail and get groceries and a bit of time making James a card to send off. Yesterday the girls and I went to go visit my dear friend Stephanie. How exciting for us that she moved so close! So we spent several hours chatting while the girls played and made themselves right at home...Aub even raided Steph's fridge and tried to walk off with a DVD! It was so nice to sit and chat with a great friend.

After we left Stephanie's house we went to the Grafenwohr Px to do some shopping. The Px here is small and generally doesn't have what I want so we have to drive to places with a better Px. I picked up Grey's Anatomy Season 5 so I can finally get caught up. We had dinner at Subway and then came home. It is fun spending quality time with my girls (especially when they are well behaved).

I had alot of fun making this card. I used my Slice to cut the birds, border and heart punches and my sewing machine. The patterned paper and yellow inside is Basic Grey.

This is one of my favorite cards that I have made...so simple. The papers are from Jenni Bowlin.

Fishy Project

I have spent some time looking for projects that I can do with the girls. I found a cute project kit online that involved fish and tissue paper but the shipping was outrageous so I set out to create my own version of the project. I cut fish out from construction paper, cut some double sided adhesive sheets to fit on the middle of the fish and then cut up some bits of tissue paper. Easy...took me maybe 20 minutes to prepare. I put the girls into their high chairs and we got to work decorating our colorful fish. Lolo tossed her bits of tissue paper onto her fish and Aubrey took longer putting each piece down. I grabbed crayons to draw on eyes and Aubrey wanted to do that part on her own. I think we ended up with a really cute and easy craft that held their attention just long enough for the activity to be fun. We hung the fish up on our arts and crafts wall so they can check out their pieces of art.

Busy!

For the past week and a half I have been doing a lot of sewing. I have completed 2 tote bags, a Christmas tree skirt, 3 table runners, 1 crayon roll and 2 crayon notebooks! I am tired just thinking about it. I have 1 more tote bag to make and a cover for a book. Once I get my sewing machine put away I don't think I will pull it out again for a long while. I have some pictures I need to be scrapbooking so I can attempt to get caught up on the girls albums.

James and I just installed Skype on our computers so we can make video calls. We tried it today and it is great. Lolo was so happy to see her daddy. She sat in my lap saying "daddy" and waving to James! It was so stinking cute. I love that she was so excited to see him.

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. The girls and I just hung out at home. The weather was chilly and Lolo has come down with a bit of cold which Aubrey and I have now. I hope this passes soon and we don't start a vicious cycle of continually being sick.

In case anyone is wondering about the fabric on the bag...it is Amy Butler. I just love it and I am so proud of my bag.

***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***

The baby pigeon has disappeared. I have no idea where he went and I am a little sad. Really. I seriously am. I really wanted him to be ok and the girls loved watching him out the window. I hope I don't have to worry about pigeon babies ever again! They are creepy little buggers.

James has been gone 6 weeks now and time has actually gone by pretty quickly. Not fast enough but quicker than I imagined it would and for that I am grateful.

I have been doing a few sewing projects and am glad for the distraction. I have completed a cute little tote bag (minus a button) and a Christmas tree skirt in the past 2 days. I know it is early for Christmas projects but I really wanted to get it taken care of so I wouldn't feel stressed to finish it on time. I hope to post pictures of the tote bag once I get the button sewn on tomorrow. It is cute and I am so proud of the way it turned out. I also ordered some prints from Shutterfly and once they get here I need to spend some time getting caught up on my scrapbooks. They have really taken a back seat lately to card making and now sewing. I am so happy I have great hobbies.

Finally, the cute picture of Lolo was taken earlier in the month. I just love this picture for a couple reasons. First, look how blue her eyes are! How gorgeous! Next, her perfect round face. Finally, I love how I was able to capture Aubrey way in the back of the picture. I just love it when I am able to capture such perfect photos of my girlies!

Pigeon Love?

Yesterday I was so excited to have a decent steak and baked potato for dinner. I went out to start my grill and I saw the back end of a bird under there. It scared the crap right out of me. We have had several dead birds in our yard this past year and I was so upset that I was going to have to deal with the third one since James left last month. Much to my surprise this pigeon was alive! Alive I say! I was filled with relief and dread at the same time. I was relieved because this one was sucking air, dread because I knew I had to do something because there is no way this little guy was going to survive a night on the ground. My solution was putting him in a box and setting it where mommy and daddy could get in to take care of him. Not a great solution, by any means, but the best I could think of under such stress.

I say stressed because I dislike birds...really, I am afraid of birds. Yeah, I said it. I. Am. Afraid. Of. Birds. Long story about a silly traumatic event back when I was a child. I have a hard time going into aviaries at zoos. Birds that can't fly are ok...penguins, ostriches, emus but not chickens. I am afraid of chickens too. Even though they don't fly I still don't like 'em.

I worried about that baby pigeon all night! Every time I rolled over to look at the clock I hoped the bird was ok. The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was check on the baby and was so happy to see he was ok and a few minutes later his momma (maybe it was daddy) swooped down to feed it. I knew I couldn't leave him so low on the ground for another night so I thought about it for a bit and decided to use one of my hanging flower pots. It is deep enough the bird shouldn't fall out again and I can hang it about 5 feet off the ground. Then I had to slide the little bird from the box he was hiding in into the basket. Not easy. And I was afraid I was going to lose an eye from an upset momma pigeon.

I am happy to report I put that baby into the basket and hung it up. I tied a piece of rope around the pole and around part of the basket to help cut down on the sway because it is fairly breezy today. I think the baby is pretty happy too! He hasn't stopped chirping since his momma (maybe daddy) found him and is now chilling with him in his new make shift home. I guess we won't be using the patio door for the next couple of weeks until this baby flies the coup (or basket ).

*On a side note I took the pictures through my window so they are not super clear but I felt safer behind the glass!

Bittersweet!

I am feeling a little sad this morning. I was searching for pictures of Lolo from last year and I had a mommy moment. A moment (actually the past hour) filled with emotion because I am amazed at how much my little girls have changed in the past year. I am so glad that I have so many pictures that capture a moment in time. I am also grateful for being able to put those pictures into a scrapbook where I can include my feelings and that my daughters love looking at their albums now. I hope they will still love them in 30 years because they are the reason I do this.

The tutus we ordered from Paisley and Posies (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6037124) arrived yesterday and they are "tutu" cute! Aubrey and Lorelei had them on all day yesterday and loved spinning around. The flower headband is adorable and it really finishes off the look. Aubrey has taken to posing for pictures! She struck that pose all on her own while Lolo just wants to see herself in the pictures and won't sit still.

I am going to finish off with some lyrics from "Don't Blink" by Kenny Chesney..."Don't blink/Life goes by faster than you think/So I've been trying to slow it down/I've been trying to take it in/In this 'here today, gone tomorrow' world we've been living in."

Minus Four

No I am not talking about the temperature. It has been 4 weeks since James left. 4 very long weeks. We have just over 5 more months until he comes home.

I have been trying to get the girls onto a real bedtime schedule. Aubrey has no interest in potty training but I will give it another try this week. I bought some pretty neat things to bribe her so I hope it works. Lolo is really picking up on words and I am surprised at how many she has added to her vocabulary since James left. Sweet Lolo has taken it upon herself to make sure Aubrey gets a drink before she will get her own. Lolo insists on carrying Aubrey's cup and hands it over to her sister before she grabs hers. It is sweet and Lolo is so proud of herself. She grins, I clap and Aubrey is happy to get a drink. We all win!

We have our good days and bad days. Today is just a bad day. The girls are fussy. It is hot. And I am worn out and emotional. It is hard being the only parent. We manage to get along most days but I think we are all emotional today. I am going to finish the day off with a glass or two of wine and a few episodes of Friends. And hope that tomorrow is a better day.