jump up and down

up to lately

Hi there!  Perhaps the posting has been a bit sparse here lately and today I'm giving you eight reasons why.  In fact, some of these reasons were meant to be their own post at some point.   I'm hoping to find a new blogging groove soon - something a little more streamlined, but I don't think I've quite figured it out yet.  In the meantime, here's a glimpse into my life lately...

1) Exercising and eating better - I started doing old step aerobic videos with a couple of other women at church three times a week and then using my Wii (if you really want a workout, forget about Wii Fit and go right for Wii Active) two or three times a week.  Combine that with not eating half a dozen desserts everyday, and you just might have a chance to lose some weight.  I'm not going to publish any numbers here, but I will say that my weight is lower than it's been since Ned was born - even lower than when I finished the half marathon last year.  And I feel pretty good too - lots more energy and my clothes fit! 

2) Attending our first parent teacher conference...and Peter is doing so well!  I really think we made the right decision about moving here and putting him in school this year.  I love his teacher and his class is super small - I think there are only about 15 kids on the roll and there are usually only a dozen or so there each day.  Academically, he is soaking everything up like a sponge - counting to 100 already (he could count to just beyond 20 when he started and in September we set his IEP goal at 50), being one of the top readers in his class, and really improving his handwriting which I was worried was going to be a huge ordeal since he didn't even want to write during the summer.  There are a few concerns with following directions, but I think this is probably mostly related to his sensory issues and we'll just keep working on it.  He's playing at recess (he didn't want to leave his teacher when school first started), playing teacher at home with all of us being his students and even sometimes talking about what he's looking forward to at school.  Hooray for Peter!  

3) Writing a talk to give in church this Sunday (if you didn't know, we Mormons all take turns preaching to each other) based on this great talk.  I haven't given one in a long time so I'm a little nervous.

4) Making Thanksgiving plans.  My Grandpa's health is in poor shape, so we're making an effort for the entire family to get together for Thanksgiving this year...having it at the church because that's the only place we'll all fit and I'm in charge of decorations.  I have some things worked out but might need something else to use for table decor - anyone have any inexpensive and quick ideas?

5) Starting my new post as PTSA Treasurer tonight.  This might be what happens when you exercise three times a week with the PTSA President.  

6) Working on Stockings.  The are in the shop and I've sold a few already.  I took new pictures this year that I keep meaning to share with you...maybe next post.

7) Practicing the Organ.  I am determined to not scramble at the last minute to figure out what I will do for prelude music during December (like I do every year), so I ordered a new book and got right to practicing it.  I will be prepared this year!

8) Making one more preparation for winter by ordering some new boots.  They just arrived yesterday and I think I'm in love.  I got rid of the last pair of winter boots I had when we moved to California and have suffered with cold feet every winter since we moved to Idaho and especially since I had all of my vein surgeries done.  Bring on the snow!

What have you been up to?

take a look, it's in a book

Despite what you've ever heard about on this blog, I do like to read.  This picture shows the shelf where I keep my most recently read and my next to read books, plus a couple of my absolute favorites.  I would certainly not call myself an avid reader, though I would like to be.  And honestly, until the last year or two, I couldn't read something unless it was super interesting or short without falling sleep - ahhh, the perils of being a mother of very young children.  

My other issue has being deciding on something good to read, which is why I love a good book group.  I still drive into town once a month to attend my book group from our last ward.  This week at our meeting we decided on the next six months of books.  I know I always hear people ask for suggestions for book group books, so I thought it would be a good thing to share here.  And I realized that if I write it down here, I won't have to go searching for the next months book when I've lost my written list in a few weeks - a win-win for all of us, right?  

December - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

January - Christmas Book Show and Tell (We are each supposed to bring our favorite Christmas book to share with the others - anyone have any good suggestions?  Right now I'm think The Best Christmas Pageant Ever which is definitely my favorite Christmas book, but I'd be ope to trying out something new.)

February - Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (This was my pick - I've had several of my friends on Goodreads rave about it.)

March - The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

April - Pope Joan by Donna Cross

May - Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen

I think we came up with a good mix here - a utopian novel, a mystery, two historical fictions (my favorite genre) and a non-fiction.  Now, to get reading...I'm still catching up on last month's pick - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

happy halloween

 

Hello!  I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween and before it gets too much past, I wanted to share our costumes.  I know I said earlier that I wasn't making anything for the boys, but after waking up in the middle of the night early last week and having the thought that I wasn't making their costumes be the first thing that came to me, I changed my mind and made an emergency trip into to town for fabric and accessories.  I convinced myself to buy pleather for the first time to make Batman costumes for both of the boys - one in black and one in silver.  You won't be seeing the black one here, because when it came down to it, Ned was still pretty set on being the "green dinosaur" that he had picked out of Grandma's costume box, so now I suppose I have something for next year if he wants, or just for dress-up. 

The pleather was actually pretty easy to work with and I loved using it for the appliques because there weren't any raw edges that had to be sewed over.  I just used a straight stitch to attach those bats.  I did have to be a bit careful about not pinning too much and pinning in inconspicuous locations because the pleather isn't very forgiving when it comes to pinholes.  Other than that, it really wasn't that difficult to work with.  And he didn't actually end up wearing the mask even though that was the only part of the costume he wanted to wear to school for his party (and the only part I really thought he should leave out for school).  

And my costume - it has been a really long time since I have dressed up for Halloween and I really wanted to this year, so here I am - the fairly friendly witch.  I made my skirt from a $4 piece of vintage grey and black woven plaid and then added some vintage trim on top of grosgrain ribbon to the hem.  I did have to make a tulle underskirt (with some help from my mom) to add a little volume to all of that skirt.  You can't see my shoes very well, but they were incredibly pointy and thrifted for $4.  I added some rick rack and ribbon to a $2 shirt.  I actually tried to reconstruct another $2 shirt first, but that turned out to be a disaster, so I got a shirt that fit the second time around and just embellished!  My Mom gave me the hat from her costume box (the one that I remember from my childhood, although I don't think I've been a witch before) and I also embellished that.  I made some of my first Wisecraft Fabric Flowers and added one to the hat and one as a brooch at the top of the cape.  I had a lot of fun with this - I just might have to make another one next year!

And our little green dinosaur.  My Mom made this costume for my younger brother about 20 years ago.  It was a little big for Ned, but that made it easy to put his jacket under it.  He also wouldn't wear the headpiece that went with it.  He actually didn't even want to go trick or treating.  I was convinced that he wouldn't be too happy with that decision when his brother brought home a big bagful of candy, so we finally got him to tell us that he thought there would be scary monsters there.  Once we assured him that there wouldn't be any and that if there were, Dad would be there to keep him safe, he put on a smile and his costume and we made it out the door.  Now I just need to figure out the best way to deal with all that candy.  This is the first year that they are both begging for it constantly and the first year that I think they might notice if some accidentally went missing.  What do you do with it?