Journey

As excited as I am about Shelly moving on to Kindergarten this year, I am also filled with many mixed emotions. I recall her struggles with walking in the toddler class where Ms. Eileen faithfully took care of my little girl. She carried her many places and let her sit in her lap when Shelly was unsure of new territory. My comfort level with her at the little playschool was 100% and I never worried when I would leave her in their capable hands two days a week. Shelly moved on to the 2 year old and 3 year old classes and she continued to blossom into a sweet little girl. And then she entered the 4 year old class where we once again approached an obstacle (potty training) and once again had Ms. Eileen to help navigate the waters. Her endless concern and care were tantamount in Shelly's success and for that I am forever grateful.

I feel confident that as Kindergarten days get closer, Shelly will be an enthusiastic student who will jump onto the school bus with her sister and walk into her classroom ready to learn. And I fear that once again it will be her mother who worries about the new ups and downs in her life and how Shelly will overcome the less than perfect days. But, as I prepare for this change over the next 2 1/2 months, I will look back on my own childhood and remember how artfully my parents prepared me for the big world out there. I think with those great memories behind me I will be able to tackle this next step in Shelly's life beyond her momma.

The Graduate

She did it!!! Shelly graduated from preschool with flying colors. She was the second in her class to walk to the podium. Does this make her the salutatorian of her class???? Well, regardless, she was a big hit with all of us, including her grandpa who was here for the big event.

The graduates wore actual caps for their ceremony and we all laughed at the jaunty way she chose to wear her hat. We will miss her teacher, Ms. Eileen. She was her toddler class assistant teacher in 2006 and her head teacher this year. Time sure does fly!

We will head off for a celebratory dinner and some gifts later. Fun times for the new Kindergartener.

Visitors

Today we are anticipating the arrival of Jim Jam/Granddaddy/Dad---my father. He is coming to NC for Shelly's preschool graduation and he'll be here to hang out with us while John is away on a golfing trip. We are eager to see my pop!!!

And another little visitor arrived on the deck this morning. Lily excitedly announced that there was a chipmunk on the deck. I thought to myself, she better not be kidding!!! I love me some chipmunks!!! And, true enough there he was---the cutest little thing ever. I snapped a few photos of him as he dashed around the deck. Later we saw him on the wall behind the pool. I am hopeful he'll stay around with us for the summer.

Stitching up the Pieces

This morning I was feeling a little down and decided I needed to do something constructive to get out of my funk. I bookmarked this idea and thought I'd give it a try.

This task meant I needed to pull out the sewing machine. Something I haven't done since my mother's death and I really wasn't looking forward to it. Every time I sewed, I knew I had my mom as backup should anything go wrong. She could answer my questions and set me straight OR I could just put the project to the side until I saw her again when she could fix it for me. And this time I knew I was on my own. Not a great feeling, but something I needed to do. So, I did it.







Shelly was right by my side (or across from me at the table) as my little assistant and that felt good. And it felt slightly familiar, too. I can remember many days sitting near my mom as she sewed away at her machine and created something for me. I enjoyed those days with her even as an adult.




Here I am showing a few steps of my process and laughed as I traced my Sex and the City dvd for my template...not too sure this is what she meant when she said to pick your child's favorite movie for tracing. LOL











My finished product appears to be a little skinnier and longer than the one I was copying, but the new owner didn't seem to care as she deposited her sunglasses into the bag.


While all of this was going on I sat by the kitchen window and watched as the fence guys installed our new fence. Editing to add that the fence is, in fact straight, unlike the view from this photo.And I made a pot of freshly brewed iced tea. I even have a special pot for TEA ONLY. Love my glass of iced tea with lemon.



And, so I am moving out of my funk little by little with a project here and there.

Remembering

Today, as I go about the every day parts of my life, I hope to take some time to remember those who have served our country and lost their lives doing it. I am so thankful for their courage and bravery in honor of our wonderful country.

I will also spend my day thinking about and remembering my mother. I will do the ordinary chores...making meals, doing laundry, cleaning rooms, and taking care of children...all while I keep her on my mind. I continue to miss her for the greater part of each and every day. I am realizing more and more how important it is to keep busy and keep living. I miss you mom and hope that you know that we are all keeping you in our hearts and in our thoughts.

And here you are mom spending your time doing the ordinary, the every day things that made our house a home.

Inspirations

I have stolen (been inspired by) some fun ideas from around the blog world and wanted to share my versions and the originals with you.

First, I got busy with some of the teacher gifts for Lily's specialists (art, music, bus driver, etc.) and Shelly's teachers and the director of her school.

I saw the cute idea for gifts and the adorable digi kit at this site. I purchased the eye masks and nail files at Bath and Body Works and packaged it with the candy bar. For Shelly's teachers, I added a cute little gift set from B&BW, in addition to the other items. I still need to put something together for Lily's main teachers, but I have a couple of weeks to work on that.

Here is my version of the gift bags with the printed tags at Heidi's site. I also found this cute idea here for the gift bags and attempted to create the same look on mine.

Another stolen idea came from this site and this site. They created a little chalkboard using a silver tray. I have several silver trays that don't get much use and I thought I should try my hand at this fun little craft. So, I created my very own chalkboard with just a little chalkboard paint and a tray. Very easy to do and lots of cute factor once it's finished.

And to round out my idea stealing extravaganza, I saw this fun little cookie/cake for the holiday weekend and thought I'd give it a go. I didn't have the sugar cookie dough and didn't feel like driving the 20 minutes to the grocery store to purchase it, so I improvised with a double batch of the cookie-cake mix recipe. Then I completed the cookie/cake with the same items listed in her recipe. It was really cute and a big hit with kids and adults alike. It was a nice dessert for a crowd.

Happy Student

This 3rd grader is beginning her EOGs (End of Grade) testing today. I am so proud of how well she has done in school. She is such a willing learner and a happy student and it makes my heart sing to see her head off to school with such a big smile. I am sending her hugs and love as she diligently works on her tests this week.

Vignettes

I created two little vignettes around the house recently and thought I'd post them. As an aside: these are the types of things I would call my mom about and blabber on with where I bought the pieces, how I put it all together, where I saw my inspiration (i.e. whose blog), etc. So now, dear blog readers, you must listen to my blabbering!

The first is made up of pieces from around the house with one newly purchased item. I have a cake pedestal stand that I bought at Target about 3 years ago for $12 on sale. Then I added my $1.99 cloche (from Goodwill) on top with a little nest with eggs (Joann fabrics for $1.05) in it. The two birds on the bottom are also from Target and were purchased about 6 years ago for a total of $5. So this all cost me about $20 over the last 6 years! And the cloche that I got at Goodwill was part of a conversation that I had the last time I spoke to my mom on March 3rd. I had just been to GW and bought the cloche and asked my mom if she was familiar with them. She said, "oh, yes that's a hat." And technically, she is correct...cloche is french for bell and is the name for a closely fitting hat.

The next vignette is a picture of my mom and aunt roller skating in the 1930s. I framed it in a large wooden frame from Michael's on sale ($6.99) and set it on a plate holder that I bought several years ago. I placed it on top of a wooden game box that was a Christmas gift from my sister along with an old camera of my great grandfather's. The photo reminds me so much of Lily and Shelly. So, it's nice to be able to look at it and think of my mom, my aunt and my girls.

Songs

Feeling a bit melancholy today. Missing my mom more than ever. Just as I like to read and write to fuel my soul and my heart, I also love to listen to music. So, I found some songs that seemed to fit my feelings right now:

A Happy Birthday

Lily celebrated her birthday on Tuesday. She woke up to the birthday fairy's decorations and her favorite cinnamon rolls. Once she got home from school, she began the scavenger hunt for her gifts. She was thrilled with all of her presents.

Charm Bracelet


Clothes

Webkinz Guinea Pig and Roxy Purse

Hair Straightener

Card from Grandpa with a generous gift

Outfit from Aunt Mary Katherine

Outfit from Bestemor

Gift from Claire K


The AG boots

The AG Chrissa Craft Studio (I know my mother would have loved this with it's little sewing machine, spools of thread, and scissors)

AG heart dress from Aunt Kathy

It was a good day for Lily. I can't quite believe she is now 9!!! When did that happen??? I hope she has a wonderful year. She is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and I love her dearly.

A Beautiful Day

Mother's Day was a lovely day at The Foster's. The girls and John prepared cinnamon rolls for me for breakfast and John even made me freshly brewed iced tea. The girls showered me with cards, coupons, and gifts. They also stuffed balloons up their pajamas representing a pregnant belly. They were mommies-in-training! I thought that was a sweet tribute to their own mother that they would want to follow in my footsteps!!! We made plans to head to the Farmer's Market where we bought all kinds of plants for around the yard. Then it was off to lunch/dinner to a fun little spot with very few patrons...so no crowds or waiting were involved. We had a yummy meal and then headed home to plant our treasures. Shelly was John's big helper in the garden (I think she takes after her grandpa and bestemor). To finish the evening, the girls gave me a complete foot massage while watching The Amazing Race. It was just perfect all the way around. Thanks little ladies.