Kitchen Tent and a little Productivity

I was intending to spend a lot of the day in the kitchen cooking and freezing stuff so my week would not be so hectic....see, intentional. So I made a tent for Lylah to enjoy some time in the kitchen too. Otherwise I would be hearing a barrage of, "Mommy Hold You" over, and over, and over. a few months back Grammy gave us giant pillows and tons of extra sheets. So I put some of them together and draped them over the kitchen table and china hutch to make a tent. under the tent I put blankets on the floor and brought in Lylah's blocks. She brought in her favorite Mousie puppet, and Henry brought himself. So there she sat with several favorites, including blueberries and cantaloupe for a snack. Lylah was into the tent for a while. She did some building and some book reading and some reclining on the pillows. Henry on the other hand...He loved the tent. He took a bath and then settled in for the rest of the weekend. The pictures were taken over a span of about 8 hours form start to finish. Lylah to start. then Henry and Lylah. Then Henry alone. And then Henry still... hours later. The tent was a success and I got a Beefy Mexican Lasagna, Roasted Chicken, Chicken Salad, and Black Bean Tortilla Wraps in Chili Sauce made and frozen or ready for the week. Not too bad. No art though. But I was very accomplish-y. Kitchen is clean too. Now I guess I will finish my work work and then get ready for another week.
Oh made one more thing. I will have to do it again and take pictures along the way. I made Hulless Puff corn Carmel Corn. YUM!!!!! Lylah is a big fan. Mommy too. Daddy will love it too as soon as he gets a chance to sample. He is a busy guy today. Hope to see him soon home from church. I am off to get some walking shoes on for a quick go around the block with the nature hunter. Then it's off to bed for her and off to work for me...

I found It !!

Here is the scene. Jumping and naked. don't know where the toilet paper is now. Can't think about it. She gets plenty of exercise, I can tell you that much.

A New Day with No Mistakes...yet

Anne would be proud of my determination today. When I say Anne, I mean Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables, of course. I refer to her as my friend, my "bosom friend". Anywho, Anne would be proud of my determination today. I woke up (a little slowly still--I just can't sleep at night), I got up and I began the day pretty well. We started getting the house ready for Baby by cleaning out closets, organizing and, of course, making a list of more things to do. I think the making of lists is about my favorite thing. It's like daydreaming on paper. I write down all the things I would love to do and then I lose it and make a new one. But I enjoy every new list. My goal today was to be intentional about getting the house in order. I am doing pretty OK. I vow to do no work related work and only home and family related things. Tonight I hope to be in my studio space making at least one thing. I will photograph it tomorrow, no matter how ugly, and let you see the thing I did. See, the blog will keep me on track!
I just put Lylah down for a nap. She yelled out of her room to me that she just found and retrieved some toilet paper from her bottom. I ran in there because of her current paper eating binge. I did not want the paper to go the way so many sheets have gone before it, especially since she informed me of its prior location. When I walked in the room she was naked as a jay bird and jumping on her bed, obviously very tired. She has now gone to sleep, fully clothed as far as I know, and will probably be asleep for a couple of hours. I have choice to make. Should I clean the kitchen and wash the dishes or nap? I feel a nap might be the best choice. Might help me have the stamina to get my art endeavors done tonight too. The dishes will STILL BE THERE when I get up. Sweet dreams to me.

A Black Party

Lylah informed us that she was going to have a "Black Party". What IS a black party we wanted to know? She told us that it was where you eat black cookies. She loves a good black cookie if she can get one now a days. She had her first OREO ( double-stuffed, even!) at Grammy and Papa Jones' house last week and I am afraid she has been a little obsessed with them ever since. So I guess we could have some sort of "black party" soon. She told us that she would be having her black friends from school, her black toys, and her black mommy and daddy at the party. I am not sure I have met all these folks, but I am interested...
Tonight she and I made All Bran muffins and supper together. She loves to help in the kitchen. Any time I am in there she is busy bringing a chair over to the counter to be my helper. Most of the time there is a giant mess when she has helped because she really loves to sample as she goes, but I am so happy she loves to be in there. I finally felt able to cook today. I have had a lot of work stuff this week and also been very tired. So I have been a poor cooker ( and cleaner) in the kitchen and have just ended up in bed not sleeping. But tonight was a joy. She was so proud of herself for stirring the wet ingredients and helping find the right tools for measuring and pouring. We counted muffin cups and set the timer and waited for the goodies to be done. When Glen got home from work she ran to him telling him all about her muffins and how she put the raisins on top and how they are her, " best, best,best, favorite, favorite cupcakes ever, ever, ever." I could eat her and her cute curls up. She has been telling us the things that are her "best, best, best, ever, ever, ever" as of late. It is so sweet that she is starting to have some opinions that she really has come up with all on her own. She is getting to be such a big girl.
Thinking of her and thinking of adding another baby to our family makes me feel so grateful for the privilege of raising children and also feel the magnitude of the calling set before me. I just recently have been able to be in contact with a friend that I have loved for many years and with whom I have not been in constant contact. But each time we reconnect it is like we never skipped a beat. She is a mother to 5 and has a full plate with church, home, and homeschooling. She inspires me to be a better mom. not because I regard her as supernatural or perfect or whatever, but because her first priority is teaching her children to love Jesus and to love others. Some days I have that priority in the forefront of my mind and then others I am just floating through my days without any real goals.
When I started this blog I intended for it to be, well, I don't know, crafty, or fun or informative about my little Lylah. One thing I did not want was for the blog to all about me and my narcissistic woes. I saw it as a blessing and a beginning...a beginning to an intentional life. I felt like it was somehow in God's timing for me and his provision for my spirit. This sounds crazy. I believe that keeping up with this blog will help me to stay on target and focus on a goal and then accomplish that goal. What goal? The act of living intentionally every day. This has about a million sub-points for me, but I shan't go into them all. But one of the main goals is to focus on Jesus and know him more. Secondary to that is to share that love with Lylah and Glen. Next is the goal of dong art or crafty stuff. I have pages of ideas and good intentions sitting and waiting. My nature is creative and it was given to me by God to be used. I am not me unless I am using it. I have been "not me" for a while, despite the constant encouragement from my sweet husband and friends and family too. I have allowed excuses and circumstances to squelch my creative spirit. But no more. I live a life intentional as of now. Perhaps I will dedicate today as my own "black party", the one where I allow the Refiner's fire to burn away my junk and char the deadness that I have been so desperately clinging to.
Yes, I do feel like this crazy blog is a fresh start for me. New mind, new attitude, new focus, new baby in my belly, new ETSY shop in my near future.... I am so excited! This is one of those really great days where one little thing flowed into another and blossomed into beauty. Thanks for the inspiration, Jesus. How do you always know just how to do that for me at the exact right time? Well, I know how, but...wow!

Here are a couple of pics in her ladybug suit. These were on the 4th of July. The bottom one is her covering her ears so as not to hear the fireworks. We went inside and watched from a window shortly after this picture was taken. They were really fun from a safe distance. "boom-psssss!"

First Day of Preschool

Lylah was so proud of herself going to school with mommy. This is a couple of months old now, but I thought you might like it anyhow.

the first post ever...

I am pretty nervous putting this "out there" tonight. I don't know why. Maybe I feel like no one will care to read it or something pessimistic like that. But I am making a good-faith effort here. I wanted to blog mostly to let the fam keep up with us since I am so awful about sending pictures and letters and keeping in touch. It is not that I don't love my people, I just am a really bad organizer of my time. It seems like I am always busy and yet things are so undone. I find this crazy. So I pledge to post and to add pictures on a regular basis. I pledge to keep you informed and give you a peek-a-boo as often as I am able to do so.
Peek-a-boo #1 Lylah is so cute!! Glen and I decided to take her to the park this evening as a surprise. She was so excited. I asked if she could sing a song about going to the park. She did. It was sweet and "sing songy" with lyrics about what she would do at the park and how much she loved it. Tonight she thanked Jesus for chocolate before going to sleep with her two cats and beaver stuffed animals tucked under her arms. Cute as a bug!
Peek-a-boo #2 The baby wants bacon tonight. I made green beans with some potatoes, onions and bacon too. Don't tell me that the green beans are canceled out by the bacon...I will cry on you or punch you out and chalk it up to hormones.