i have been eying this top tutorial and never found the energy or time to make it. not that i had the time the other night, it was 10:30ish when i pulled all my stuff out. but, i knew that if i didn't make this top now, i never would... i was pretty happy with they way it turned out ...although, i think next time i will move the sleeves in a little closer towards her neck.
hope you are enjoying the week!
did you feel the change in the air over the past few weeks? school starting. i was able to spend a few days down at the school helping my sweet friend Renee. this time reminded me of this post and how nervous i was this time last year. (i can't believe it has been a year!)
being the nerd i am and missing the school environment, i have decided to start a little school of our own. really it's no school by any means but just an excuse to buy supplies and spend scheduled one-on-one time with sara. i know with baby boy coming i will be home in the mornings and wanted to find something that sara and i could work on and kinda "force" me (you know, keep me accountable) to spend a little time focused on her.
so, i looked around and was VERY inspired by many blogs... but kind of overwhelmed. there are endless resources available, endless ideas for toddler-ish activities and endless amount of "stuff" you can buy! so after realizing that i would have a hard time starting and staying organized, i bought the first month of the itty-bitty bookworm curriculum to try out.
all this to say that we are on a very loose 2 year old schedule. i dont think it is important for her to "learn" much by the end of this time. i just wanted something fun and easy with some sense of direction.
basically, we are focusing on a color and a shape each month. the itty-bitty stuff uses 2 books per month and have several suggested art-ish projects to go along with them. I don't know if i will buy more months... not sure if i'm ready for that much of an investment. maybe when sara is three or four. i hope to get in a groove and just use the books we have and the wonderful world of the internet... who knows.
i wanted to share with you guys some pictures of our "school times"...
for this project we sorted and crushed up fruit loops, then we "painted" with glue and a Q-tip and added the colorful "sand"
the end product...
for this project we colored "circles" (coffee filters) with markers, then used pipettes to drip water on them. it made a kind of tie-dyed effect... 
i'm learning that it is all about the process for a two year old... not so much about the product.
also, we have this chart hanging on our fridge reminding us of the color and shape of the month. she has enjoyed seeing them and moving them from row to row.
the cards are from this great website... montessori for everyone and the chart was a dollar bin find from target
have you ever had one of those weeks when you blink and it's over? this has been one of them for me. "where did the day go?" was asked multiple times by bed time on many days. i don't know if it's trying to hold on to this time before it changes that makes it feel like it is going by too quickly or an unrealistic idea of what i should be getting done in one day. but anyway, it's going by too fast!
nine weeks...
that's all that is left of my sweet time with only sara.
nine weeks...
of having only one child to plan a day around.
nine weeks...
to prepare for a sweet new boy.
nine weeks...
left to dream about what this little kicker looks and feels like!
only nine weeks...
it has been awhile, huh? I have wanted to and thought about it often, but when it can down to it, i never got around to writing a new post. but here i am.... ready to get back into the world of blogging, ready to share about my sweet family and ready to show you what i have been sewing.
a lot has happened in the months i have "been away" ... so here it goes... it won't be too long, i promise...
my sweet daddy passed away on April 9th, after battling cancer for several months. it was a difficult time but i know he was ready to rest.
during that time we found out we were expecting! it was exciting and bittersweet all at the same time. we have recently found out that it is a boy and due November 6th.
my sweet sister-in-law gave birth to the cutest little boy, Samuel Joseph, in February. and Sara and I have had the pleasure of hanging out with him three days a week. it has been such great practice for all of us!
Sara turned two! can't believe it! we had a small celebration with bubbles and burgers.
And Ryan started his last year of law school last week!
So a lot has been going on.
We enjoyed the summer... sad to see it go. but i am ready to start this new season of baby preparation and new projects.
sorry for taking forever to post and update this space... but i'm back and ready to share some pictures... so stick around.
have a good week! 
here's my little cutie... sporting pig tails...
my dad's health has been declining over the past months. it started out being his liver that needed to be replaced and being put on the transplant list was the solution. then, as the doctors looked further it was cancer... a very rare kind that the hospital had only seen one slightly similar case of. so off to another doctor, who finally said last week that, even if they had a million dollars, there is nothing they can do.
so this is where i am ... in the midst of telling my dad goodbye, as he is in hospice care for pain management...i was telling sara today as we walked out of the store while she was crying and reaching for the ladies she was leaving, "goodbyes are ok... we will see them again." i got in the car and lost it... realizing this is what God has been telling my heart for the past week. goodbyes are ok and i will see him again. i don't understand this part of the journey, why things like this hurt so deeply... but i trust Him.
thanks for listening.
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