Spring Break Projects!

Yesterday Lily and Rowan and I worked on new dresses for their dollies.  They both helped some, watched some, listened some, and took breaks to do other things while I sewed and ironed.  ;)  I didn't get any photos of Lily, but she was very anxious to do as much of the sewing herself as I would let her.  Sewing is not my most favorite thing, but I hope that my girls will learn and enjoy it, so I tried to keep sighs and negative comments to a minimum.

Rebecca and Gwen model their new dresses.  Gwen's was sized incorrectly when I printed out the pattern, so it turned out a bit, um, flirtier that we were expecting.  You can get away with that when you are an 18" doll, I guess.  The free pattern can be found here.

I think children from large families have such hard lives.  No one pays enough attention to them.  I know they must feel sad and lonely much of the time.  Do you think Eli would agree?

This is his 'Cheeeeese!' face.

Oh my goodness, he makes me smile.

This morning I prepared a special breakfast of honey-nut cheerios.

I am always so impatient to buy flowers by March.  Last Friday was a gorgeous day, and I went ahead and bought some annuals for my front porch.  Saturday and since have been cold, cold, cold.  Yesterday I thought my poor little flowers might like some outdoor afternoon sun, even though it was cold, so I set them out.  This morning I suddenly realized that I forgot to bring them back in last night!  I rescued them and though they look a bit rough, I'm hoping they'll revive.

I am redoing Keely and Annes' room, and I couldn't settle on art for Annesley's side, so I decided to create some for her.  I printed out lots of things that she likes and decoupaged them onto an $8 canvas.  I thought decoupage was fool-proof, but turns out it can be goofed up.  The pink ink from the 'Keep Calm and be a Princess' page ran everywhere!  I'm going to try to salvage it by adding some pink paint elsewhere and then covering the whole thing in glittery stuff.  Annesley likes it, so I suppose it's a success anyway!

I have just discovered the treasure trove of free printable art to be found here!  I picked up this frame several weeks ago for $3.  The stand on the back was completely missing, but I knew that it would look nice on a picture frame stand.  The butterflies image is from the NYPL digital library.  I love it!  This spot needed a little color.  And I am kindof into butterflies right now.  :)

So, this week has been full and fun, and it's not over yet!  Tomorrow we'll get ready for dinner guests and try to savor our last day of break.  Hope your week's been great, too!

First Day of Spring Break

Can I just say....YAAAAYY!!  All you homeschool Moms out there know that you get just as excited about breaks from school as your kids do!  And I should qualify:  breaks from 'normal' school.  I have some sneaky ideas to get school in this week disguised as fun.  Shhh.

Baby feet!

Last night as I was getting my boots to head to church, I pulled a toy out of one and thought, I love being a Mom.  I am trying to see each day with thankful eyes, loving these little people and accepting their messes as part of the small, small price of having a house full of people to share life with.  The Lord is so good to me, so faithful.  All last fall I felt like I was drowning under the weight of homeschooling, of mothering, of homemaking.  I am so very happy to say that the Lord has lifted me out of that difficult funk, and is granting strength and grace each day.  I still struggle, but He is helping me and walks with me.  Praise and thanks to Him!

Baby eight and baby one are good friends!  She won't like me calling her my baby, but she still is, in my mind.  :)

Today, we are going to do a lot of whatever strikes our fancy....or at least that's the plan.  The girls want to try their hand at sewing some clothes for their American girl dolls, and I would like to get some kids in the kitchen to do some baking with me.  I confess, I have to 'gear up' for kids in the kitchen.  I often feel so pressed for time that I don't allow helpers as much as I should. But today, we will bake.  I still keep a list on the inside of one of my cabinet doors to remind me who has had a turn as a kitchen helper.  It's right next to the list of whose sheets I last washed.  Lists are my friend!

We had a wonderful visit with my Mom-in-law last week.

I hope you enjoy your day, too.