Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side?

I apologize for the lack in posts lately! I have been so busy, but it doesn't feel like I've accomplished anything! Oy!

The reason I have been so busy is because I started back at my old job, on a very temporary basis, at the beginning of August. They called me in to help out as there were a lot of people that were on vacation and didn't have enough people to cover. I have been feeling lately like I'm not contributing enough at home. I have had a job since I was 14 years old, so not contributing financially has been hard for me since staying home. So when my old office called I jumped at the thought of being able to add to our financial situation. The first day was great, the kids were happy, I got to get out of the house and feel useful. Then it has gone downhill from there. The kids scream every time I leave, which kills me every time, I have dealt with the same junk that I dealt with before I left in cleaning up other people's mistakes, and coming home in a bad mood. Luckily I only work on the days that my husband has off, so the kids don't have to go to daycare or to someone else's house, so he has made sure the house is clean and does my chores for me while I'm gone.

The problem I have is that my whole system is thrown off now! I am tired after the kids go to bed, which is when I sew or do my other fun things, my laundry situation has become this demon that growls at me every time I walk passed a basket full of clean clothes that need to be folded, and I don't feel like I am helping in any way! It has been so hard as I have already missed some big milestones with our son and my daughter has been acting out a lot. Yes, having extra money has been nice, but is it really worth it?

Well, I have learned a lot from these past few weeks. 1. I have the best husband ever! The house is clean when I come home, the kids are either napping or eating snacks when I get home, and they have had a good day together. 2. I enjoy having a reason to get dressed up and have makeup on! Man, I missed that! 3. The only reason I wanted to work was to contribute to our bills and maybe have some extra to do more projects but I have been too busy to do any projects at all! 4. I have found a new joy in being home. I decided to stay home the day we found out baby #2 was on the way and I was so excited about it, but I admit, a little naive about what my job would entail. I am grateful that I have had this chance to see what it would be like to have a job and kids and I have to say kudos to those that can make it work, but I am not one of them!

So, no, the grass is not greener on the other side, not for me. I am going to be very happy once this month is over so I can feel like myself again, which is strange to even admit.

Here is a list of the things that I have on my list of things to finish/start:

- Finish a new car seat cover

- Refinish 4 dining room chairs (they are sanded, just haven't had a chance to paint and put new covers on the cushions).

- Create a Farm Table with the existing table we have, just make a new top and paint it.

- Decorate for Fall

- Paint kitchen cabinets! I have wanted to do this for over a year and it hasn't happened, but I finally got my husband to agree to let me do it!

- Make new pillows for our couches

- Recover a wing back chair I got for $10! Oh yeah!

- Make a headboard for our Master Bedroom, which also includes actually decorating our room!

- Finish the kids' rooms, still have a few things to do, but it's almost done.

- Sew a jacket for my daughter

- Find/make a new and smaller desk for our computer that is now in our dining room and taking up way too much space.

- Finish our fire pit in the backyard.

...

Yeah, that's the list, for now. I am sure I will be adding more to that list, but I think you get the idea. I will resume my regular posts as soon as things get back to normal, whatever normal is.

10 Minute Bolero Shrug Tutorial

Sorry for the laps in posting. Things have been a little crazy around here. Had my cousin's wedding on Friday, started back at work (kind of) on Tuesday, teething little man, and today is my husband and I's 7 year wedding anniversary! WOO HOO!!! I will post pictures of our little outing that I have planned for tonight (as its a secret to my husband) later this week.

But here is a little something I whipped up on Friday, hours before my cousin's wedding, and I didn't even wear it! I guess that sums me up right there. However, I was needing to find something to cover my... well for lack of a better term, my line backer arms! I made a skirt, which ended up being a disaster (again, sums me up) and I decided to wear a dress that was sleeveless, but I didn't want my arms to show. So, here's what I did:

Tutorial:

Items Needed:

*Jersy Knit (or any other stretchy material) 1-2 sizes too big. (I used a shirt that was not big on me and I wish I had used something bigger, but you can use the same method and get better results than I did.)

*Scissors

*Sewing Machine

*Coordinating Thread

Step One:

Take your shirt and cut it about 8" up from the bottom seam.

Step 2:

Measure from the outside in by 6" and pin.

Step 3:

Do a Zig Zag stitch in between your pins, leaving the 6" open.

And then turn it inside out and slip it on over your arms! Here is how mine turned out, and you can see that it needs to be a little bigger on me as I have line backer arms and apparently their shoulders too.

Here's the back view where you can really see that it needs to be bigger on me. But like I said, use a bigger shirt and it will look great on you!

Baby Shower Gift

I know so many people that are pregnant right now! In fact, in the last 48 hours, I know 3 babies that were born! Crazy right? Well, I have this little friend (and I say little because she is like a stick figure) who is having a little girl in October. In fact, this baby will start to come and play at my house when mommy goes back to work in January (so three kids 3 and under, I can do this... I think!). But her baby shower was last weekend and I just had to share what I made for this little bundle.

The hat is from this tutorial and I am obsessed with it! I think I've made at least 5 already. And the booties are kind of my own creation. I found a few patterns, but they made them a funny shape, so I just kind of figured out my own little pattern, and again, I'm obsessed with these as well! There is nothing sweeter in the world than little baby feet, so when I make these I just can't wait to see the little feet that will be in them.

I have also been experimenting with the "Distressing Ink." I should have done some test runs with it before stamping on the letter, but oh well. Looks ok for a babies room.

What have you been working on lately?

Wordless Wednesday

(And no, I didn't do this to her.)

Cupcakes for World Peace

Today is one of those days. You know those days, stayed up all night with sick kids, kids get up and are fighting with one another, coffee isn't keeping you awake, house is a mess, kids still fighting, barely took a shower (amazing that that happened at all), and there is no end in sight. I put the kids in their swim gear and sent them outside with the sprinkler on so they can get their wiggles out and give me a moment to clean up.

Well, last night my in-laws came over for dinner, which was so fun, and my mother-in-law made some mini cupcakes for the kids. They each got two. My daughter ate hers... more like inhaled them, while my son licked his for a while and then when he dropped it on the deck he picked it back up and ate it (don't judge, I can't stop the kid from eating off the floor, he's like a puppy!) Now, my son (18 months) gets distracted easily and forgot about his other cupcake, so I put it in the fridge so he could have it today.

After this day's dramatic and chaotic tone I was feeling like I needed something to pick me up. I knew that a third cup of coffee would be a VERY bad idea, so I went hunting, as all good mom's do. The kids' Shrek GoGurts didn't look appealing, the peanut butter was a possibility, and the strawberries had fuzz on them. Then I saw it. The little mini cupcake. This cute and sweet cupcake with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles. It seemed to emanate its own light, like a wonderful halo beaconing to me. I stood there with the fridge wide open as I thought long and hard about this delicate bundle of sweetness's fate. If I gave this single cupcake to one child, the fit from the other would be monumental, and quite frankly I didn't think my brain could handle anymore screaming.

After lots of deep and profound things inside my brain (Madagascar, love that King Jullian), I took that luscious little ray of sunshine in my hand and took it upon myself to alleviate any more contention between my children and sacrificed my thighs to its empty caloric goodness. Something wonderful happened. My attitude changed completely. I went into a happy place of thrift stores with every single thing I wanted, money to buy it, a clean house, happy children in clean clothing, with clean faces and hands, giggling, not screaming. It was heavenly and has continued!

So here's my thoughts: Why don't we just give cupcakes to anyone in a bad mood? It would make us all so much happier! Don't you agree?