Preschool

photo by Jason Wyckoff

Situation

I'm sorry I haven't followed up on our "situation(s)" regarding the kids' preschool. I was sick last week, thought I was getting better and now have a terrible scratchy throat with hoarse voice to go along with it.

Well the bottom line(s) are these...

I love one of the teachers. She is so invested in the best interest of the children. If she came off harsh to me at first, it was just her style of efficiency in communication while trying not to hold up the line of cars, but taking time to talk to me w/out embarrassing the child. As for the other teacher. The issues she brought up at the car, in front of my child, were "watered down" from the urgency and seriousness that went along with them at the first report. Ella is not doing anything malicious. She is trying to be a helper and a leader and hasn't learned the etiquette of not crossing the line into being bossy and taking over. She has been following some poor behavior of other kids and her "hitting" was a playful pushing of her backpack into of the girl in front of her in line waiting for pick up. I feel much less worried and know what to work with her on. As for telling me a lot of these things in front of her, it was all "justified" and watered down. And we could sit there and debate and argue on details, but it wasn't worth it. And I just hope that the request will result in it not happening again. And so after the observing and after the meeting I did conclude that I did not become instant friends with one of the teachers, but quickly realized that this was indeed MY problem. She's been really good for my child for 2 years, my child has a good relationship with her, and we'd be hard pressed to find as good of a preschool at such reasonable rates in our area. The teacher is strict and I do like that. Not many people we encounter in this big world will be all lovey dovey and motherly like our mom's. And she is not really cruel, just strict. So I will be going in to observe. A lot. And keeping my eye on the situation. Because based on emotions, I might have pulled a child out, and luckily I have a more grounded husband who stopped me. For now.

Thank-You

So much to those of you who commented on my bag. I had put so much work into it and was tickled that someone, even two of you like it. I didn't have time to list it on Etsy today. But I'm hoping someday soon!!

I'm also working on 2 other bags that I cut out LAST YEAR, and have been sitting around waiting to be put together. They are made of more autumn and darker colors of from sturdy home dec fabric.

In fact I have a long list of sewing to dos. I will be really sad if that list is ever complete. ;-)

Daniel

Has been an amazing book of the Old Testament to study. We are only in the second chapter and it's AMAZING I tell you. It is just crazy how his prophecies and dream interpretations have been so eerily accurate. Then again, the date of the writing of this book is disputed... Hopefully that will be covered in this study. It has been something I was wondering about and a little internet research confirmed there is some doubt about that date. I'd love to relay all I've learned here, but that would take too long. So if you were ever considering studying, or just reading this book, I highly recommend it.

Anyone else nervous about our current financial crisis and the decision not to pass the bailout and the huge drop in the Dow Jones industrial average today?

Best Photos of Today

Play this slide show to see some of the photos I took today on a long walk with the kids. Be patient, some AWESOME colors are near the end!

Our Sunnypond Home

I often feel that I don't do right by my blog name. It was an easy name to choose as we have a lovely pond behind our house which provides a terrific view. So much so that not only do we lament that on our second level two bathrooms and only 1 out of 4 bedrooms have a window of the view, we are very seriously considering expanding our sliding doors in our family room to be twice as wide.

Well today I share with you a photo I snapped two mornings ago of a gorgeous morning that Ella brought to my attention. I tell you, children really bring you back to enjoying the simple things in life! I rarely look at the sunrise in the hectic mornings. We all really need to slow down.



Life has been pretty crazy lately and I never got this photo on the blog. It is a sneak preview of the new Eco-friendly grocery bag I was making. Except that now it is made.

So I can show you the finished product today too! I love how it turned out and hope to get it in my Etsy store soon. This one was really fun to make.

As for the preschool issue... Another issue arose, this time with my daughter, and her teacher. Just when I got everything all talked out with my son's teacher, something not so good happened with the other teacher. Plus we might have something to worry about regarding my daughter's behavior. Though some of it sounds a little fishy. We went to observe today and I feel even better about Miles and his class and Ella appeared to be behaving very well. At noon we will meet with both teachers for a conference. There really is not principal at the small school. The owner is the mother of Miles' teacher and is the kindergarten teacher, so that makes things a bit awkward. But I personally believe in speaking right with the source first. It is just what I learned from being in corporate America and it makes sense to me. Never go over someone's head until you've spoken to them first. Wish us luck with today's conferences...

Treasury!

Things are a little stressful here. Plus Jason and I are both sick.

But I did get a message today that I am in a Treasury on Etsy.

Check it while it lasts!

Weekend Update

Last Friday night I attended a very fun baby shower for my friend Julie. It was very special because Julie has two daughters that she and her husband adopted from China and this is their first natural child. This was all by choice, not necessity. They are also expecting their third adopted child from China to be joining them soon. YIKES! That's a lot of kids and babies!

Here are some pics of our newly completed wood stairs.


Here is a project I just finished last night, a shower cap. Yes I use a shower cap about every other day. I used the ones I got at hotels, except I don't go to hotels as much anymore and when I do, there is rarely a shower cap these days. This one will be sturdier (I hope) and not break so quickly as the thin plastic ones. I made this from a tutorial by Junie Moon. Overall it was easy. I had major trouble at one point, but then found a workaround to make it doable. If you want to do this project, contact me for the helpful hint!


This morning was a bit rough. Miles did NOT want to go to school. This was really out of the blue and I was worried about him the entire time I was away from him. I went over to my friend Susie's house to do a bible study with her and our friend Hannah on the book of Daniel (a Beth Moore study). I had called the woman who drives our kids to school, but never heard back. When I went to pick them up, Miles' teacher came out to the car alone with a stern look on her face. She informed me that Miles had wet his pants and all over one of the carpets and gave me the carpet to clean. She said 4 children had wet their pants all at the same time, it was mass chaos and us parents should be having our kids go to the bathroom at home before school. She said that Miles started screaming and yelling for me. I was a bit taken aback. What happened that four children all wet their pants at once? Why didn't Miles want to go to school? Why do I now feel like I did something wrong? I know, that is just my issue, but I felt she was pretty stern. As a preschool teacher for several years, has a child never wet their pants? Is this the fault of the parent? Miles hasn't wet his pants in an awfully long time. Overall I'm getting a weird feeling about this class. It didn't just start today and there is a little bit of a story behind it. Namely, tidbits I've hear from other moms. So, I'll keep you posted if anything else happens that I can share.

My Sparse Fall Decor and Other Stuff

Fall Decor

After seeing some of you other lovely and talented bloggers' fall decor, mine is kind of embarrassing, but here it is, in a collage, because it makes it look a little better, I think.

Yet More Floor Updates

Here are some more floor pics. We are still waiting on the stairs. Did I mention that already?

Dining Room and Parlour

Upstairs Hall

What I'm worried about...

Unfinished Stairs


Yard Sale News

This morning I hit some great yard sales. Lots of clothes for Ella and a $1 "princess" halloween costume. It is really a Barbie Bride costume, but I can doctor it up. Better than $40-$80 for a Disney princess costume at the Disney Store! She now has a holiday dress and matching cute shoes, a rain coat, a cute Little Mermaid pajama set, jeans, warm-up pants, other cute dresses and dress sets... I also got the Leap Pad Word Whammer Fridge set for both the kids, a Leap Pad bank that tells you facts about money, keeps track of what you put in and helps you reach savings goals, a Veggie Tails video and a Clifford stuffed animal for Miles. I'm sure I got more, but those are the highlights. Too bad I didn't find any boys clothes today.

Tomorrow there is supposed to be a garage sale close by of a lady who was apparently on Oprah for being a hoarder. I might just have to go to see what all she hoarded. I'd almost feel weird buying anything. What does that make you if you by stuff from a hoarder? Are you then a hoarder by proxy??? Trust me, I am far from a hoarder and don't want to become one!

Here is the ad (as it is, not my spelling errors)!

HUGE GARAGE SALE
Friday & Saturday
19th & 20th
9am-5pm

(location removed for privacy though if you know the correct site, you could see it yourself)

You saw her on Opera now come shop area ex-harder perch her stuff. New and Slightly used women's clothing, shoes, accessories, teen clothing from top brands like Hollister, Ambercrombie & Fitch, ect. Tons of Jeans! New Barbie Dolls, new & used toys. Home items, new cosmetics items: clinque, Lauder, ect. New fragrances from top designers. Langaberger items & so much more! Save Money! Great Christmas Items!

There is also an antique cottage chic yard sale that I went to last year and hope to hit tomorrow. Sarah, if you are reading this, that is where I got your tablecloth!

Teen Mother Choices Publicity

Tonight Teen Mother Choices dinners and life skills workshops start up again. If you are just tuning in, I volunteer for this organization as a mentor for one of the teen moms. Recently there was an article in the local paper about TMC and if you are interested, you can read it here! Apparently there is a lot of interest in teen mom issues due to the Sarah Palin daughter thing. The article is great and I hope it stirs more interest and support. Especially since they want to take the program international. In the article, TMC founder Krista march says how I feel.
How can we be asking girls not to have abortions and then not support them when they decide to parent their child? And as for whether or not they "should" parent their child is the reason why I initially got involved. I learned a great deal about the deep emotional effects on women who were not given that option, which was not unusual for many decades.

Cute, yet Unavailable Pillow

I found this pillow on Etsy.

I hearted it.

It sold.

I still love it and thought I'd share it. It is the wrong shape for what I was looking for, but if you like it, maybe you can convince her to make another one for you. The seller is twolefthands. Cute user name too!

Floor Update:

All of the floors are done. The stairs remain to be an issue. The bottom step is real fancy like and curves around each side. When we moved in, there was already a split in the left side where it curves. So we are paying them to fix it. But the floor guy can't fix it. So they are bringing in their "master carpenter" (aka stair guy). He's supposed to work on that tomorrow, and then Friday the last guy or guys will come in to sand, stain and finish the stairs. I will have pics when it is all done. We can't believe we finally did this. We've been wanting to for so long and had the savings for a bit. Well we had looked into it pre-job loss, so that explains the extra 6 months or so that we waited.


Oh, and I broke down and broke out the fall decor. I really don't have much. So I got a couple of things today including a different pillow. It's not quite as nice as the one above, but it is ok for something that is probably semi-massed produced partially by computer (??). I can post pics of those too since I have enjoyed fall decor on many of the blogs I follow. Do you decorate for the seasons? I used to not, but now I do a little and it's kind of fun.

Prisoner

Progress...

First of all thank-you for all your comments today. A lot of emotions going on here about those.

Next, the floor project continues. I think the guy is working on the stairs now. Though I noticed the quarter rounds were not in anywhere yet. I am thinking he's going to have to come back tomorrow. The foreman said 2 to 2 1/2 days. So I think we are looking at 2 1/2.

After Ella's swim class, and trip to Hobby Lobby. I just wanted to stay home. I really don't feel all that comfortable leaving a stranger alone in my house for too long. It just feels... irresponsible. I guess. So we have pretty much been stuck in the basement all day to keep the kids out of the way and away from the scary saw and pneumatic nail gun noises. And I've been trying to entertain them, sew, and generally keep from getting too much light deprivation depression.

Here is what I made. One more to go. For now. Then I want to plan and execute a new super secret project. The wristlet below is listed in my store now, but I won't post a link. If you want it, just go to my store listed on the right column of my blog and it will be easy to find. And just imagine, if you need two, you can get the second for only $10! What a deal. Sale is over at the end of the week, see store for details. Oh, and this is the one that is similar to the one I made for my mom which I forgot to take a pic of before giving it to her.


I'm pretty happy. I sold four booklets today. Someone bought two and while confirming her shipping address she saw my BOGO 1/2 off sale and wanted two more. Yippee!

Oh, and I CAN'T forget another happy thing. I won a YARD of fabric of my choice from this lovely lady!

Floor Update

Overall, things are going better than I expected. After the 2nd guy finally came (guess he has to bring the underlayment and then stayed to help), 2 large bowls were broken by one of them. Which is crazy because I moved ALL the breakables out of the rooms they are doing, they just knocked them over by putting some books standing up next to them on a kitchen counter and then the books fell over pushing them off the counter.

The parlor (old dining room) floor is done, the dining room (old living room) is almost done. Just need all the quarter rounds. I think he is currently working on the upstairs hall which takes a little turn, so I assume that will require quite a bit of tricky cutting. The stairs haven't been touched yet. I think another guy is doing them? I don't know, I'm a little confused. And there is currently only one guy here today. I heard them having what sounded like a verbal disagreement in Polish yesterday. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

Well it looks pretty good. We already had wood flooring in the foyer. So this new stuff, while as close as we can get, doesn't match exactly. The color and grain look pretty good, it's just that the new flooring has less grooves and looks more smooth. In the end, I hope no one notices, or that it just doesn't really matter. Part of me is excited. The other part is a little shocked. It looks so different. The rooms no longer look so compartmentalized but more open. And I not used to that yet. Also we will soon need to start thinking about rugs. And Jason now feels more motivated to paint. Something tells me things may be in dissarray for a while.

Ella had her 3rd swim class today. She absolutely loves it and I am so glad she has something she absolutely loves. I think she gets antsy waiting for her turn with the teacher and staying on the wall when it isn't her turn. I think I saw the lifeguard scold her once for getting away. (I can see her class as I work out in the gym as there is a little window).

And the kids seemed to be playing really nice for a bit. But, as usual, someone did something to destroy part of the house. So I took the offending tool of destruction away, and the wailing has begun. What is wrong with me?

Oh, and thanks to Kathy for the awards! I will have to distribute those soon.

I am seriously considering taking a long break from the blog. I get upset about not having many readers (thank-you all who read and comment!!) and think maybe I may need to step away to think about why I do this and how to not set myself up to get down about low readership. The awards from Kathy and all the other sweet comments make me think twice. So we will see. I have been thinking about this for a while.

The Weekend and Today

We had a very nice anniversary weekend getaway to Galena. Since not many people read this I will just post a pic of us 6 years later at the spot we were married.

For comparison sake, here we are there again in 2006. (For 2002, see post below).

Which brings us to today. We are getting new hardwood floors installed. When the installer walked in and asked which rooms he was doing, where the paper underlayment was (apparently not delivered last week with the flooring) and said that yes he'd be the only person doing the installation (and there is no way he can move our dining room breakfront all by himself - and we paid extra for them to move the furniture), I am just a little stressed out right now.

And in an effort to try to make just one post today, here is and example of the result of the work my mom and I put into making baby shower invitations for the shower she is throwing next month...


I first stole this idea from here and she got the idea here.

Happy Anniversary

To us!

Six years ago from next Sunday we stepped out of this little country chapel a newly married couple.

This weekend we will be going back to that place in Galena, IL to celebrate.

Penguin Party

If you are looking for some cutesy seasonal little scrapbooks, look no further...

Hula Penguins

Chilly Penguins

P.S. I'll be trying to list 2 of these a day for a while until I run out of listings, so bear with me!

Spoiled

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to join Jason at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago Tuesday night (and got to spend the night) for his company's annual meeting. Quite luxurious all around, wonderful food and the entertainment was comedian Dennis Miller. Got to meet some very nice people too.

Always very nice to be in the city. Especially when you are spoiled enough to stay in such a hotel, with such a view.

Don't Forget

I was driving to work on a crystal clear sunny day in that time between summer and fall. The beauty of the weather that day really struck me. What a perfect day. I was listening to popular DJs on a popular radio station. Abruptly, news just in, an airplane accident, it flew into the WTC. Suspicion that this was a pilot error, but what exactly went wrong? What could have happened? Grief overcame my body. This was no accident. I was just sure. I was also sure that this was not the end. "They" were finally getting us. Another plane hit the other tower. In fact, I wondered if it was the beginning of the end of the country. It had to be pretty obvious now, it was on purpose. I could barely drive to work. I'm surprised I didn't have an accident. I could barely navigate my way to a parking spot. I was shaking.

I was the first at work. Where was everyone? I needed to talk and I'm sure others needed to talk too. I turned the radio on. The first coworker appeared. The horror in her eyes met the horror in mine with recognition. The next coworker waltzed in. Oblivious. He laughed and asked what was wrong with us? He didn't know. This country was only very recently the country he called home, and from his lack of reaction, I just didn't think he could understand the severity when we explained what had happened. We listened to the radio, there was no TV to watch, probably better off at that time. The first tower fell, the coworker who wasn't a native nodded in sympathy. We listened. The next tower fell. Our hearts fell. Later were reports of the crash into the pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania. I'm not sure why they didn't let us all go home that day.

Later I got to see it on TV. Over and over and over and over and over again. So surreal. A beautiful day and out of the blue, so unexpectedly. Terror. Disbelief. We joined our community for a candle light vigil, to remember those who died and to come together because we needed one another.

All flights had been canceled. Because of this, an interview I had for a job out in Southern California was postponed. When flights started up again I flew out. The morning I was flying back to Chicago and was waiting in LAX, TV screens announced the initial reports of the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. And at that point, I don't believe the increased security measures we have today were even in place.

For a long time after that I mourned, with the rest of the country. I was mad, like most of the country. I wanted this to be stopped from ever happening again. I didn't know anyone who was directly affected by this act of terrorism. Yet we were all affected.

Please let us all remember this tragic day for as long as we live and be so grateful for what we are blessed with and to those who have done what they can do and everything they know to do to keep us all safe.

2 New for Fall

Autumn Harvest

Autumn Chic

Look for more fun styles coming soon!

do you like?

I'm so excited. I learned a lot more about making a customized blog/banner today. While I used a free stock background, I made my own banner using digital scrapbook supplies (freebies). And someday I will try my hand at a custom background. Thank-you Jason for figuring out how to open RAR files...

We are thinking about starting something new over here (blog? store?). Jason and I. So with that I'll leave you hanging and get back to you later if things pan out.

Hoot

I designed and made this little guy yesterday.

As a baby shower gift for a friend.

I like it.

New Item in Store

I am not feeling well. It's only been 3 days of non-summer weather and I'm already getting sick. Stuffy and sore throat. Perhaps you can understand a bit why I'd like to live someplace warmer.

Nonetheless, while the kids were at school I finished up another wristlet. It is a bit different than the earlier ones. It has a divider in the interior to keep things separated. It does not have the corners gusseted. Which means the bag is square and flat. I also added a ribbon and beads as a pull for the zipper. This item is now in my store. Click on here to go directly to listing.

Oh Happy Day

I am So Honored to Be Featured in the Daily Ditties section of Wickedly Chic. I had never heard of this site before, but you better believe I'll be all over it looking around now. It is devoted to independent businesses with the tag line "Independent Shopping for the Wickedly Chic". Looks like a great place to find all kinds of cool things..

My Chocolate Birthday Frosting - Padded Convertible Wristlet Pouch was featured there today.

Yay, always nice to have your work noticed and appreciated.

First Day of Preschool for Ella and Miles

Today was a very emotional day for Mom. She had to see us BOTH off to school. She opted to walk us to the door the first day, normally all the parents drive through to drop off the kids.

Ella meets up with an old friend and our carpool buddy Michelle.

From Mommy's perspective:

At one point Miles said a bit nervously "Are you going to stay with me Mommy." Which he quickly forgot when the doors opened. He walked on in, without looking back, without running back for his hug and kiss. I've been preparing him for this for a long time. He's always had trouble with separation. Though I should be, and truly am happy that he was able to waltz away and not be afraid of being independent, it was a little sad too. My baby is in school now. And he's really not a baby anymore.

And yes, I cried (after I left).

Bristol Renaissance Faire

Saturday the family went up to Bristol, Wisconsin to the Renaissance Faire. My cousin Katie, who I rarely get to see works there summers and otherwise lives in Austin, Texas.

The kids had a great time and it was so good to see Katie.


Puppet hugs


Pickle on a stick


Robin Hood


Funny man and juggler, Broon.


Broon gave Miles a balloon animal (no it is not blown up)


Posing with Jane the Fool


Katie, me and the kids


Katie and the kids.

I Need to Find More Blogs Like This

Photo from http://pennyzamora.blogspot.com/

Here is a blog of a woman who is a public affairs officer in Iraq. Her blog is a view of what is going on over there through the eyes of soldiers, not the clouded eyes of the media. I mean, though I'm pro-peace, I know that not everyone in the world has good intentions. While I may or may not agree with how things are being handled, I don't 100% trust the media about how things are going. So this blog is just want I need. And those photos of all those children. Oh the children, and the friendships between the Americans and the Iraqis. There is hope. In this world, there is ALWAYS hope.

Sometimes you just have to GO FOR IT

One thing in our home that has been bugging me has been the furniture layout in our family room. Almost all of our furniture was up against the wall except for the chair and a half, which you cannot see in the before photos below. It was placed in this room on the left just before the sliding glass doors which are there on the left too. I've learned that furniture should be arranged in a way that is more conducive to easier conversation and traffic flow. Well the traffic flow is WIDE open here! Since we removed the TV from here long ago, the focal point, I think, should be the fireplace. One really nice thing about having the couch facing the way it was, was the great view of the pond out back. Unfortunately it made it a little awkward for conversations AND did not make for a cozy arrangement around the fireplace and other seats. The longer table to the left of the couch was purchased for the sole purpose of being able to fit our CD holders which look a little like old fashioned library card drawers. This table has looked really awkward no matter WHERE we've put it. It finally occurred to me where it would look great, if only I could rearrange the furniture in a way that I think would work best. The main obstacle was that darn chair and a half. It was great where it was, but really that was the only place it was great. And that was sacrificing the potential for greatness of the placement of all the other furniture.

Before:

Notice long table to left of couch looks a little awkward.

So.... I just decided to go for it. With the chair and a half being a bit of a problem. This is the way I think the furniture looks best, with the exception of the chair and a half. And it's matching ottoman makes a "good" coffee table in front of the couch, but the condition of the fabric on the piece is not good. So we have been talking about getting rid of these two pieces and getting a smaller chair for that corner. Because this arrangement seems much cozier to me.

After:

Those shelves are so high because we used to have the TV below them.

Notice dead space behind the chair and a half. It is too big to push back into that corner. As I look at it more, maybe a larger piece of art or an arrangement of plates would help to fill in that space on the wall. *Upon further discussion with husband, we decided to move the shelves from the opposite wall over here a a more respectable height. We are actually hoping to have a bigger set of sliding doors installed on this wall to take advantage of the view.

Crazy cords, how do I hide THESE?

There are some issues with a couple wires showing. One is for a lamp plugged into an outlet connected to the room switch. The other is a rogue cable connector jutting out from under the carpet as the previous owners placed their TV on a wall that did not have the original cable connector. There are a couple of places on either side (not really visible in the photos) that look to me like dead spaces. We are also not happy with having the two green upholstered pieces in here. The chenille couch is an sage green color and the leather chair is dark green. We do have a plaid couch in dark green, burgundy and tan in our living room that we are seriously considering switching in.

So I'd love anyone's opinions. Does this new furniture placement look better? Ideas to remedy problem spots? Any other ideas to improve the overall look? I would like to bring in more and different colors without the looking cluttered and chaotic. I'm thinking of bringing in more dark red and tealish blue. I already have some of the blue in the square plate on the mantle and a little blue vase on the sofa table.

Thanks for checking out my little project which came to be while the rest of the family was taking a nap on a Saturday afternoon!