My best bargain yet.

People ask me what the best thing I've ever found at Goodwill is.

It used to be this wallpaper in Katie's room.

But then, just when we needed it, we found this dress.

With a little alteration, it was perfect.

My best bargain yet. $15.99

Name that notion

In cleaning out and organizing my craft room, I've been trying hard to let go of things. I have these two rolls...of something.

I do not know what they are.

Do you?
I can't let them go without at least trying to figure it out.

Sleeping Beauties

Last night we moved Katie to her crib. (sniff)

After I crept in to take her picture, I wanted one of Anna too.

Sweet darling sleepy girls.

Come Down O Love Divine

Fernando Ortega has a new album!

(He's my favorite)

Here's a video about it.

Come Down O Love Divine from fernando ortega on Vimeo.

and if you want to, you can pre-order it here. (Or after July 12, you can buy it at The Family Bookhouse) :)

Yay!

(official) Summer is here!

So how did I do on the Spring list?

1. Organize Craft Room (I never know what to call it-office? studio? sanctuary?)**ALMOST!!**

2. Make Katie Christening Gown.

3. Make Anna Birthday Dress.

4. Start Swimming again.

5. Finish organizing MJL's office.

6. Plant a garden. **gave these both up-on purpose**

7. One small landscaping project.

8. Keep up with photos.

9. Do something Kansas Explorer-y with the girls.

10. Enjoy the three weddings, showers, prom, wedding shopping, two graduations, three birthdays and Easter. Remember that these times are special, and hectic just means there are lots of people to love.

Not too bad.

The Summer List is funny-half summer and half the beginning of the school year. I'd better aim WAY low.

1. Finish organizing craft room!

2. Make Spencer's blanket.

3. Make Finney and Trisha's blanket.

4. Make something pretty with Abby for Lainey.

5. Make Anna Back to School Dress.

6. Anna Hall Photos

7. Anna 8X10's for year.

8. Finish Summer Class.

9. Plymell Spanish Facebook Page

10. Try to choose fun over "work"

Happy Official Summertime!

Bridesmaid practice

This weekend I found a dress and shoes for Chelsea's wedding. yay!

I asked my fantastically fashionable niece Joanna how to learn to walk in heels. She recommended practice and youtube videos. This one made me laugh.

3 years.

No video this year-too busy with sweet kiddos.

I miss her every day.

A song.

Old news

The professional pics from Lainey's wedding just came out, which reminded me that I got a few nice pictures that I never shared.

Bride fixing flower girl's hair.
Pretty Anna.
Anna, attended by bridesmaids.

Anna and Bride. Blurry but sweet.

We had such a fun time-and we're off to another cousin wedding this weekend!

Congrats Finney and Trisha!

4 months update

Last week we took Katie to the Dr. for her 4 month checkup.

13lbs 9 oz

24 1/4 inches.

and sweet.

Katie at the Courthouse

One day last week I took Anna and Katie to see Mom's flowers and benches. Everything is growing beautifully. In a few more years, there should be snowballs on those bushes!

Summer Hair

This summer I went for something a little different.

Blue hair.
I still like pink best,

but I'm having fun with the blue.

And P.S. Matthew's doing well, surgery went fine, should be home today! And on to the very difficult job of not working too hard. Or hard at all. In the middle of summer. And Harvest. Yikes.

Surgery, Take 2

MJL is having another back surgery this morning.

But look what Katie can do!

Movies?

With MJL once again mostly relegated to lying on his back; we've been watching more TV together.

I'd like to watch some of the great movies from when we were kids, but none of the ones I remember (The Swiss Family Robinson, The Parent Trap, The Chipmunk Movie) are available on Netflix instant. Alas, no Esther Williams movies either.

Lately we've been watching mostly The Cosby Show and Phineas and Ferb.

Have any recommendations for us?

M&M's

Back in March, when we were in Oregon, I saw something that I tried mightily to ignore.

15 lbs of M&M's for 4 dollars. Even with shipping-that's a deal.

So I asked Eric to mail me a box. It was very nice of him. They came in one giant sack.
Don't you want some?
M&M's freeze well, so I bagged 'em up, about 2.5 cups per bag.

They should last me a while. :)

Flora's Very Windy Day

Today we went to the Library and got signed up for the summer reading program. It's one of my favorite things about summer and I especially enjoy making Abby do it with me. Today I left her in the car with sleeping Katie and signed her up without her permission. Ha!

One of the books we brought home was Flora's Very Windy Day. I picked it up just because we also have VERY windy days, and was so pleased when we read it. It's about a girl and her little brother, and has a very positive sibling message (something I'm super aware of at the moment) and absolutely wonderful illustrations.

It's the sort of book that makes me want to search out other books by Jeanne Birdsall and look up Matt Phelan to find out what else he's illustrated so we can get them too.

Have you read anything great lately?

Summer Plan

I'm starting to get settled into the summer, trying hard to do only the things I need to do, to decide which chores I can skip and which things keep me sane. The beginning of the summer always feels a little overwhelming to me-as though it'll be quickly wasted if I don't plan ahead. Having a schedule helps me feel better. I'm going to try to do a better job of going to bed and feeding everyone. Here's the plan for Summer 2011.

6:00 am Feed Katie, Get UP! Work out, eat breakfast, say prayers, get dressed.

8:00 am Work in office-organizing or doing projects or working on class.

10:00 am Feed Katie, Do chores, outside with girls.

12:00 pm Feed family.

2:00 pm. Feed Katie, go to town.

3:00 pm. Pool! Sno cones

6:00 pm Feed Katie, T-ball or head home.

7:00 pm. Feed family, play with girls.

9:00 pm Anna bed.

10:00 pm Feed Katie, Go To BED.

Today=Summer

And this summer I will:

swim

eat sno cones

play outside with my girls

play inside with my girls

take naps

enjoy extended family

do some things that make me happy

And I will NOT:

worry about not "getting things done"

plant a garden

worry about not giving handmade gifts

focus on the busy instead of the fun

Bring it on!

Equity (the movie)

Join the Equity Team... from Chance Mullen on Vimeo.

We went to High School with Chance, and now he and his wife live in NYC and are making a movie!

Equitythemovie.com

Today, for $10 (or more) you can have access to all of the fun and super-secret video director's blogs (The "Starter Home" package-discounted from $25).

Matthew and I have been REALLY enjoying the blogs-there's so much that goes into making a movie that you'd never think about. (Or at least we never did). It's educational and fun and entertaining and you can feel good about supporting fellow Buffaloes (Wildcats, Kansans, fun people) in the Big City.

$10 Tuesday! Join up!

6th Birthday Dress

Thankfully Anna's actual birthday was "dress as your favorite book character" day at school and so I got an extra day to finish.

I had this fabric in my stash, I think I got it 6 years ago! at Hobby Lobby for $2 a yard.

This is the 5th time I've made this dress, I think maybe I've finally got it down. Just in time for her to outgrow the pattern.

I wanted to break up all that pink a little and so decided on a black dot ruffle and found ribbon to match. I added an inch to the ruffle-I'm really happy with that decision.

Happy Birthday, Sweet girl--thanks for posing!

16, 32, 64

I remembered just in time before my birthday.

16, 32, 64.

Definitely photo worthy.