[MAMA MADE] Making for ME

Drop Thing Number One off - rush rush rush - Drop Thing Number Two off - drive drive drive - Clear off sewing table, unpack fabrics, load up sewing machine, set up ironing board, layout, cut, pin...dammit....drive drive drive - pick up Thing Number Two - make lunch, walk dog - pick up Thing Number One - snack, clean house, dinner, dishes, home reading, story time - Things in bed - pack up ironing board, fold away fabric, clean up pins - husband in bed. Sewing sitting until the following week. Stress.

Why...why am I doing this?? Wellll, I'm not. Not this year. I have decided to shelf the Christmas Craft Fair after a six year stretch. And, [hooray] it feels GREAT! I thought I'd be disappointed, but I'm not. This year is all about my little ones, my family. So excited to make handmade goods for them for a change.

Speaking of handmade - here's a little skirt I just finished for my Chloe. It was a super simple pattern, that I knitted up in a few days. I blocked my knits (never done that before....wow, what a difference!) and made an i-cord for the drawsting (never done that either...thank you YouTube).

I LOVE it. It hangs beautifully, is super duper soft and looks beautiful on my munchkin.

And best of all, it has passed a day of wear and tear from the Bird.

[HOMESTEAD] Playstation

Hello! Is it just me, or is anyone else finding it difficult to get back in the groove of the school year? Packing lunches, keeping up with laundry, home reading, adjusting to a new grade level and teacher, new routines...whew! Slowly, we're settling into the fall, and with that, comes a new chapter for my littlest...pre-school! Chloe has started at our local Montessori school and is getting used to the idea of being on her own for a few hours a week. Today, there were no tears when Mommy said goodbye - hooray!!

I have taken advantage of the empty house, and have been doing some purging, re-organizing and cleaning. I have found that since starting school again, both my littles are really enjoying making artwork. I had a space set up for them upstairs, but found that I was constantly bringing the supplies down to the kitchen for supervision. So I have cleared our shelving unit and have created an area for supplies and toys.

The shelving unit is set up to create a visual separation between the living room and kitchen, as our plan is very open with high ceilings.

Puzzles, blocks and animals are being kept in baskets - simple organization and makes it easy to get the kids in the habit of putting away their toys.