500 WOMEN

I'm signed up for Kat's @ inspiredtoaction.com (Maximize your Morning's challenge!) I"ve been really wanted to try something like this for some time now but just couldn't get motivated and really needed someone to hold me accountable. Stumbling across her blog a few months back has been such a huge encouragement. Looking forward to MAY 15th.

Today her post was as follows -

500 women signing a petition can’t get a law passed.

500 women buying a book can’t make it a best seller.

500 women watching a movie can’t make it a hit.

500 women alone can’t make a big impact.

::

500 women waking up early to fall on their knees in prayer for their family.

500 women finding hope and security in Christ’s love for them.

500 women hearing and and responding to their Heavenly Father everyday.

500 women overflowing with the love, grace, courage and hope of God…

Unstoppable.

AMEN ! So ready for this !

Simple Living

I'm all for simple living, everything about it really.

Yet I can't seem to get with the program and SIMPLIFY.

I think I have the hardest time because their are so many parts of my life I want to simplify that I shave a bit off of here a bit off of there and in the end, really nothing has been simplified.

I want to simplify my belongings. (Clothes, furniture, food, toys "Amalie's and my own.")

I want to simplify my monthly budget, and my activities.

The stress I have on a daily basis comes from a few things:

A messy room

A messy childs room

A messy toy room

I really want to get rid of half of the "stuff" in each space to create an openness that makes you feel relaxed. Which none of these rooms feel very welcoming now.

I started to write down all the things I wanted to do to make this happen, and again OVERLOAD. And nothing gets done, because I start thinking about another area of life that needs revising and a to do list/action plan.

So alas I'm content with baby steps. Even though my first step is a baby step it feels huge !

Our storage unit is getting a facelift.

My motto:

If I haven't thought about it in 6 months.....

It's outta here !!!

Thankfully my neighborhood is hosting a missive 75+ house garage sale soon and I get the opportunity to sell all my stuff (fingers crossed) and take the first step towards simplicity.

Also hoping I make enough to tack a bit of cash onto our emergency fund. (Thanks Dave Ramsey, ha !)

(This Moment)

The Homemade Everything Life !

thehomemadeeverythinglife.blogspot.com

I made this blog awhile back... okay so maybe last summer.

Now we are approaching the best time of the year:

C A N N I N G T I M E

I thought it would be only appropriate to start journaling on what I"ve been lusting over in all my books from the library/late night Amazon (one click) purchases.

Feel free to post resources you've found that support a homemade life.

Cheesemaking

Keeping Chickens

Sewing

Canning

Bread Baking

Homemade house cleaners

ect !

Also if you are interested in getting together for canning/baking/sewing parties. Let me know and we can kick something off.

Living in community and sharing resources is always better than doing it all on our own right

( This Moment )

{this moment}

A Monday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

MAMA made : Reversible A-Line ruffle dress

A-Line Ruffle Dress + Matching diaper cover

Fabric: Top Amy Butler

Bottom and Bias: Anna Marie Horner

"Choosing handmade is choosing a slower way of life, one rooted in tradition and creative expression."

- Cathy McMurray /PDX

Once Amalie goes to sleep The "Crafting Hour" begins in my house. I have more ideas floating around in my head all day than I know what to do with. I've been writing them all down and trying to just get to one project a week so I can both feel like I'm accomplishing something and not getting too overwhelmed by starting 5 projects and leaving the majority of them unfinished and in the "Will get to eventually" pile.

I got a great pattern off of etsy from one of my favorite stores : Heidi and Finn

Her tutorial are so easy to follow and the clothes always turn out wonderful.

I modified her ruffled tank-top pattern, turned it into a dress and made a diaper cover to pair with it.

I lusted over a bias tape maker for sometime and for Christmas my mother-in-law got one for me. Yippee ! So EVERYTHING i've been making of course needs adorable matching bias tape !

Needless to say my child is going to one hip chick this Spring/Summer

Also...

This outfit cost less than 5.00 to make.

Dusting off the cobwebs of the blog

Spring is right around the corner and for that I am so thankful !

This winter has been hard on me.

Cabin Fever..... BAD

Lack of Motivation..... even worse

Health.... ha when was the last time we were all healthy? Christmas maybe?

Today the sun warmed me up on my way into work, I couldn't help but smile the whole way in.

Thank you sun, thank you pink buds on the trees, thank you to everything around me that is reminding me that the end is in sight.

Where we can run and play outside, where the days come with hours of sunshine and praying for a renewed spirit to be the creative, joyful, the continued heart to serve others in my community.

Sun.This is to you.Keep shining !

Day 3

When we feel grateful, we feel full-full of love, full of inspiration, full of ideas, and full of creative spirit !

Today I am so grateful for friends that inspire me!

Friends that inspire me to:

Be creative,

Be a mother and wife full of love and compassion,

Be accountable,

Be content exactly where I am in life.

Day 2

Early Bedtimes !

It is only 8:30 and I'm going to BED !

I'm thankful for a baby that sleeps so well that I'm able to enjoy a long 12 hour stretch too !

Gratitute (day 1) Nov 9th

It's never too late to start..... right?

Gratitude (Day 1) November 9th

Elizabeth Mitchell's New CD

Sunny Day




Her music is so lovely, it really helps me relax and enjoy the simple joys of my life in the morning. I"m thankful and grateful for her music.

Wishing you beauty and wonder in the simple and ordinary tasks of your day, today! (SOULEMAMA)

Baby book:

This is random, but i've been slowly working on pieces for miss Amalie's baby book and I came across these pictures, this was such a fun day at the park with her about a month ago. Just made my night seeing it again, can't wait to look back at these 5, months from now and 5 years from now. My baby is growing up so fast !

A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

As a commitment to myself I'm going to start entering my journal entries on my blog again. I'm all about community these days and finding what it means to me and the role it has on my family. The next few months of posts will be about just that.

Motherhood

Just another small paragraph that touched me deeply this week. Looking forward to entering my journal entries in here once this term is over.

There has never been a ruder awakening in my life about my desperate shortcomings other than motherhood. The huge responsibility of nurturing another life gets me thinking of all the ways I don’t measure up to whatever ideal it is I picture in my head. It’s like a magnifying glass over the things I’m incompetent in: cooking, keeping house, self-care, and more. But it is precisely because of this that motherhood offers us a way to grow into the person we truly are. We learn to be painfully honest of our weaknesses while we gratefully embrace our strengths. We daily stand on grace and nothing else if only to keep going in this rigorous task we have been given. The gift of authenticity. No more pretending to be more than who we are.

Domesticity

" We can thank the women before us who fought to ensure that domesticity was a choice and not something required of all women. Thanks be to them that these expectations are no longer required of us but are now an option among many that we may choose if we so wish. Free from the burden of expectations, we can now look to domestic arts and skills to create and express ourselves in our homes, giving full respect to the art and skill they encompass."

-Amanda Soule

I will write soon how this wonderful quote has had a large impact on my life this week, but until then I'll just leave you with this quote.

18: the lucky number

I met with my adviser on Tuesday, to make sure I was on track to walk in graduation on August 14th ! I am only 18 credits away from GRADUATION. I will still have my senior capstone to finish up in the Fall, but I can still walk in summer :) Hip Hip Hurray. Amalie has big a HUGE motivation in getting done. I can't wait to be done and have more time to hang with my little lady.

Also I have lost 18 lbs on my "hot mama diet" :) about 15 lbs more to go to get back to the 130 lbs I was when I got pregnant. I haven't been too hardcore about my diet, but trying to eat well and exercise when I can, I continue to loose a pound or two a week, hopefully I'll be back to my normal self early summer.

18 is MY number this week !

!

End of the term

It has been a little over three months since Amalie was born. I have never been so challenged and stretched in my entire life ! I am so thankful for this though, I have grown up a lot and continue to grow into this new roll, a mother. Yesterday Chad and I went on our weekly Saturday walk as a family. (It seems like this is our only time together throughout the week.) It is truly cherished though ! I can't imagine any other thing that brings me more joy than being with my husband and my daughter. When we got married we felt like we were a "family" but I don't think anyone can describe fully how your heart changes when a child is added into the mix.

I have really been struggling with being away from Amalie so much when I have to go to work. I work 5 nights a week so I only get to put her to sleep 2 nights :( When I am home I have housework ( which sadly comes at least priority) and homework and making dinner and juggling all the other parts of life. I try to spend as much time as possible with Amalie, but I feel so sad sometimes at the end of the day I feel like I haven't been able to have that undivided attention and time with her. She is quite social and doesn't mind being watched and held by anyone, but deep down in my heart I get so sad sometimes that she doesn't get the majority of her day with me her mama !

I never pictured myself as a stay at home mom, and not to say that I want to do that, especially once my kiddos get into grade school, but I can tell you that I am going to work so hard in getting a work from home or great part time job once I graduate. I commend those who work full time and have their kids in daycare during the day but for me I just don't think I could do it ! I never understood people who wanted to stay home and not work, but now I understand. I think with so many things we have these ideas of how we want things or how we think we will do things, but I am learning every week that really until you go through it you have no idea what you want or what you will do. I try to be flexible and go with "what is best right now." approach. For all plans change, and If I never want to change my plans around I would end up just really discouraged.

So what will next term hold? Gosh I have no idea ! But I'm sure excited to find out.
Life is such a crazy wonderful journey !

And having a kid makes it SO much fun !

Thank you for my husband and my little Amalie for keeping me sane this term, it has been rough !

I-Phones, why I love them

For awhile now I have wanted an i-phone, but their wasn't much of a need for one, so we never decided to add the extra expense to our budget. Their are so many reasons why I am so glad we canceled cable, and a few other expenses to get these. But the main reason i love them is we are able to take and send video easily to each other. Going back to work has been good, but I miss my little Amalie SO much ! Especially those 8 hour shifts are killer. ONce I come home she is fast asleep and I wont get to hold and kiss on her until around 7 am when she wakes up for a bottle. Chad is great about sending me video clips so I can watch on my break. This one is my all time favorite though, she is such a talker these days !

The sleep story

Well tonight is Amalie's first night in her own room. I am actually kind of sad about it, yet happy at the same time. It has been about a month now since she has been sleeping through the night. She usually goes to sleep between 10:30- midnight will sleep until 7 or 7:30 then take a bottle then back to bed until around 10:30 in the morning. I had loved having her in her bassinet right next to my side of the bed when I was up every 2 hours nursing her, but once we made the switch to formula after the" milk saga" she wasn't waking up more than twice a night, and then went to just once a night, she is outgrowing her current bed and we decided it was a good time now to make the transition before she gets too use to sleeping next to us. It took her a bit longer to settle tonight Chad said "I was at work" but she has been in her crib and doing well.... she is moving a bit more than usual but she is probably just getting use to all the space. I can't help but watch her on the monitor, I have a feeling I might not get much sleep tonight, I've been so worried I might not hear her when she wakes up for her bottle. I'm sure I will, but I'm just worrying. My little one looks so grown up these days I can't believe she will be 12 weeks on sunday ! Where did the time go? Chad and I love her more than we could have ever thought, she brings our family so much joy and she has blessed us so much. When either of us has had a hard day we love to just cuddle with her, makes life stand still, worries of the world fade and we feel at peace. Having a child is so amazing ! I love this little chic so much ! Praying the rest of the "first night" goes well.

Amalie's 1st Boyfriend

This was probably one of the cutest things ever ! We went to visit some friends and their adorable son Malakai. He is almost 8 months so quite a bit more aware of his surroundings than Amalie. But it was SO cute seeing them staring at each other and when Amalie reached out her hand Malakai held on to it ! So so so cute. I can't wait for Amalie to have more baby friends.

Life as of now

I can't believe Amalie is 9 weeks old ! She is getting so big, every morning I wake up and feel as if she has grown so much overnight. Everyday she is discovering something new, making new sounds, smiling a ton, and bringing so much joy to our little family. Life is truly crazy around our house but I wouldn't have it any other way. Being a wife, a mother, a student and an employee takes a toll on me from time to time but I try to live day by day and be thankful for this time in my life.

I day dream frequently about a year from now... two years from now,.... a time where Chad and I will hopefully have full time jobs with weekends off, a house of our very own ( I don't care how small it might be or how run down) something to call our own! I can't wait to fill it with love and energy and watch our little girl grow up ! I can't wait to paint the walls (without having to paint them white again) I can't wait to have a sandbox in the backyard, to have a garden to plant vegetables, flower boxes outside the windows, an art room to encourage creativity and spend countless hours crafting my heart out, a kitchen to cook together, a dining room to sit around the table and share a meal with my family and friends, a fireplace to cuddle up next to in the winter... just thinking about the day when we get to look for our "First House" seriously warms my heart.

To make this possible Chad and I are trying to be really frugal with our money and save save save so we will be able to get to where we want to be. WE want to be debt free when we go out looking for a house and have a decent amount saved for a down payment. We will have student loans probably for as long as we live but besides those and paying off our hospital bill (giving birth is expensive !) we don't want to have payments each month hindering us from buying a house. Once our tax return comes our way we will have no outstanding debt ! I coupon religiously, we share one car, and do what we can to cut costs, but still our situation right now (being in school and only working part time) we spend all our money each month on rent and utilities about 1,350 ! So Alas we have made the decision to not renew our lease in May and make the move to house with the inlaws in their spare room. We understand it's not the most ideal situation..... it's not going to be overly comfortable (I have serious space issues) and it may feel like a step back instead of a step forward. We are both ready to make the sacrifice for more long term goals. A HOUSE! We hope to stay there until Chad graduates( a little under a year) hopefully we last that long, we will see how everything goes.... In this time we are going to continue to save all we make in hopes of getting a house.......

Amalie's stats from her 2 month check up today

Weight: 11lbs 12 oz 74 percentile
Height: 24 inches 94 percentile
Head: 15 1/2 inches 64 percentile

she did really good with all her shots, 3 pokes and an oral vaccine ! A lot of crying at first but I had brought a bottle so we fed her and she calmed right down, and has been sleeping all day long ! hoping she doesn't wake up middle of the night and ready to play.... fingers crossed for a repeat from last night. She slept 10pm-6:30 am then feeding and slept until 8:30 !

Also Chad and I are on weight watchers, it has been really great. I have never needed to diet before so this is kind of new but I have 28lbs to loose to get back to my pre pregnancy weight. ( Yes I gained a TON!) so dieting is a must ! I have lost 8 lbs and so has Chad. I worked out for the first time since Amalie was born and no words can explain how out of shape I am.... only huffs and puffs.

Well Amalie is starting to stir... we might not be so lucky with a good nights rest tonight.