Summer is here!!! School is out!!!pm

As of 12:45 p,  today my kids are officially out of school for the summer!  Looks like I know have an 8th grader and a high school FRESHMAN in my house...oh my, where has the time gone?! LOL. Looking forward to making summer plans, swimming, museums, baseball games, crafts, etc.  First summer I've ever been at home with the kids with no work responsibilities calling me.  This is going to be super fun!

Recent crafts:  My mom and I made a wreath for her front door for K's confirmation party.   Supplies: wood oval frame (Hobby Lobby), one large bouquet of flowers (Hobby Lobby), and wire edged ribbon (Hobby Lobby) - our ribbon was textured and rectangular holes - it looked cool hung on the door.

June Goals:  Purge, purge, purge, and unpack, unpack, unpack.  Yes I moved July 2013 and its June 2014 and I still have boxes to unpack.  I'm giving myself the summer to finish!  So far, I've purged my kitchen utensils and gadgets, 3/4 of my master closet including clothing, and 1/2 my magazines.  Its a work in progress.

Short update I know, but I've got to get that summer calendar updated before the kids get home!

D

Crafts and stuff

Its May 8th, and I'm six weeks into my journey of being a stay at home mom or "Domestic Engineer"!  And I have yet to find that basic routine for myself.  I've decided to give myself a break as I've been working constantly and running myself ragged so I think I deserve a little time to rest.  And seriously, in four more weeks my routine will change again as the kids will be out of school - YEAH SUMMER!!! April didn't bring a lot of productivity but I did manage a few crafts for Easter.

Spring / Easter Wreath for my mom - all items from Dollar Tree.

Supplies Needed:  pool noodle, twine, flowers, decorative item, glue gun and lots of patience :)

Instructions:  Bend pool noodle to a circle and tape connecting ends with packing tape or duck tape (multiple times around so it holds). Glue the end of twine to the pool noodle and wrap around noodle.  Every inch or so I would push the twin towards the beginning section in order to make it as tight as possible.  Continue till wreath is completely covered and glue the end to the wreath.  Glue your decorative item to the wreath, and the glue the flowers to the wreath.  Use  a piece of twine as the the hanger.  Easy, and inexpensive.

Picture Frames for the women in my family at Easter: 

Supplies Needed:  Wooden picture frame from Michael's, Hobby Lobby, craft store, paint, stickers (flat and 3d)

Instructions: Paint two coats on the frame in color of your choice (let dry between coats), add stickers as emblishments, and insert either photo or picture of your choice.  I did an Easter Theme.

And then, I had a creative bent and did a little mixed media - canvas, paint, cross, and crochet yarn.  My mom liked it so she kept it.  I think it turned out well for a first time try.

May's goal is to continue with my crafts and projects plus try a full day of freezer cooking using Once a Month Mom menus.  Wish me luck.

Dana

April

Its April already and again this blog is a major work in progress. I think I'm going to use it as a way to catalog my journey as a stay at home mom. That's Right! God gave me the means and opportunity to release my times from CORPORATE and engage them with DOMESTIC. I like to use the term Domestic Engineer! :) I'm staying home to focus on the kids and myself, especially our healing - physically, emotional, mentally! I'm only in week two and have realized that I need a routine desperately. Otherwise I find myself staying up late and returning to bed after I take the kids to school. Not that that's bad on an occasional basis but not what I was really intending for this season of life. I need a schedule, I need exercise, I need adult conversation, I need devotion time (this is first), and I need a routine for the after noon once the kids are home too. Something flexible that can change as life changes but that gives me a good idea of my day or week.

That's my goal for April - figure out a routine and start doing it. Only takes 21 days to become a habit, right. Here's to the journey.

Dana

2014....Already????

2013 Update: I cannot believe that 2013 flew by; however, I can believe that I totally forgot about the blog and let it go to the wayside.  Its a new year, so a new resolution to post at least once a month.

Last January I chose the word "intentional" for my word of year.  I think it fit well and we did a good job of being intentional in our relationships with each other, our family, and our closest friends (hey, that would be family too).  My family was also intentional in our decisions for my kids education, environment, and future.   In looking at education and wanting to give the kids a much needed environmental change, I decided to list my house and move.   Where to move?  That was a consistent prayer and, as always, I asked Jesus for the blinking neon sign!  Pearland, TX!  Great school system, lots of opportunities, new environment but still have family (the in-laws) close by.  Flashing neon sign:  my house sold in under 36 hours and the new came in under my budget!  Thank you Jesus!

It has been an absolute wonderful decision.  We love our new home, the kids love their new school, and we've built a better relationship with my in-laws (it was never bad, but its just better or maybe I should say closer now).  I miss seeing my parents every day, but mom has learned to email and we talk quite a bit.  So all in all, it was a great move and we are loving life out here.

2014 Goals

My word for 2014 is "healing".  Healing for my kids and I with the loss of Kyle as we are still grieving and feeling effects, healing for my health as I have hit a true wall of exhaustion, healing in my relationships with my kids as I don't always take the time to focus on them due to exhaustion, and just hoping for a feeling of balance to come into our lives this year.

Goal 1:  Have all boxes sorted out, gone through, tossed, put up, etc. BEFORE November - seems like a long time but I've been in the new house since July and very little has been unpacked, of course, to me that means I don't really need it all!

Goal 2:  Month by month, work on various rooms getting them all in order, organized, decorated, etc so it functions efficiently for my family.

Those are my major goals for the year.  I'll get back to you later on the month to month ones.

What is your word for 2014?  What do you want to grow or learn this year?

Love ya,

Dana

Hmm...what can I say...Sorry

Obviously me blogging is a work in progress, just like me getting healthy!  So here's an update on what's been going on and where I'm headed! February rolled along and seemed way to short (oh wait...it is).  Our goal was cleaning up bedrooms and organizing them - FAIL!  Even for mine.  This is definitely a ongoing project, might be done by Christmas.

March goal was to clean out, organize, toss, donate, garage sale the various items that make their way to my formal living and dining areas!  I want to make them functional rooms instead of storage.   Did start, made some progress in the formal living area and have quite a few things for the garage sale this month.  I have two weeks till the sale to finish the dining area.  So I'd call this a mini success (I started!) and gave the project an extension!

March was a great month in that March 31 was EASTER!  The day God saved us all my having His Son Jesus die on the cross!  Amazing that we have a Father who loves us that much!  Easter was celebrated at my house with family and AWESOME food.  Unfortunately I don't have pictures :(.  But I do have the recipe for the ham (taken from pinterest):

For a 4 to 5 pound fully cooked, spiral cut ham:

1 cup cider

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup coarse ground or stone ground mustard (has the seeds in it

1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix together sauce ingredients till well incoporated.  Coat the ham generously with sauce.  Bake in oven for 60 to 70 minutes, basting with sauce every 15.  YUMMY!

We also had a great lemon pasta salad, strawberry spinach bacon salad, fruit salad, deviled eggs, carrot cake, strawberry icebox cake, apple pie, and cookies.  Kudos to my daughter K for making the desserts.  She did an awesome job.

April Goals:  April is the month to catch up and finish what we started so I'm combing the previous goals: eating from pantry, clean/organize bedrooms, & clean/organize formal rooms to functional.  As I said, its all a work in progress!

Dana