sewing class

a few weeks ago...i was driving home from the grocery store

when i looked to my right and saw a sign over the white gate that

sat in front of the blue house on brown rd.

i knew this house in passing...it was next door to the montessori school that

mikey attended years back...

the sign read...

sewing lessons for girls 8 and up...

that's when it began

i jotted the number down on the notepad of my itouch and called immediately when i got

home...

i was so excited after my conversation with the instructor and couldn't wait to tell morgan..

she was now signed up for sewing lessons

for the past 2 years...morgan has looked at my sewing machine that sits in the garage next to

mr c's tools and

has asked me to teach her to sew...

isn't that sweet...

yep....there's only one little problem with this

i don't sew

at.all.

nada.

zip.

zilch.

and none.

i would really love to learn to sew...

my sister and mother tried to teach me their skills once and i didn't work out so well...

i don't think i have the patience to work with the machine that my parents gifted me for my

birthday about 7 years ago...

the machine and i just don't get on so well...

so...

since i lack any skills or patience needed , but do have a checking account...

i decided to pay up and let someone else do the work...

morgan had her first lesson this week...

she was instructed to bring her own fabric and ribbon for her first project...

a sewing bag...and she would begin it only if her teacher thought she was ready

i dropped her off to class, met miss diane, chatted for a minute and then headed home to start

dinner...

{not really, but that sounds better than home to sit on sofa with the mr and the new pup}

45 minutes later when i returned to pick her up...

i found her ironing her fabric and readying to sew her bag...

really?...already?

i love that her first project is an accessory...

first...she practiced on the machine sewing straight lines on paper...

after only two run throughs on paper with straight lines and ovals...

she was ready to work with her fabric...

i'm pretty sure i would still be trying to thread the needle at this point...or i would have been

swearing at the sewing machine...but not this girl...she was sewing her bag and doing it well.

...i don't want to put any pressure on her...but i could see her giving marc jacobs and

christian dior a run for their money...and you can even through betsey johnsons crazy name in

there...

and when she is on the runway in new york city during fashion week...she'll stand up after her

first show and thank her mother for signing her up for sewing lessons years back...

you're welcome, morgan.

and then she'll say...

....it all started with a sewing bag.

and that friends, is how it all began.

steeler

ADOPTED

meet steeler...

the newest member of our family...

i wanted to name him winston but the children out-numbered me in votes and decided on steeler...

after mr c's favorite nfl team

i think when your significant other feels sort of bad that you have

been trying for a baby for almost two years and have only sore thighs and

negative pregnancy tests to show for it...he lets you adopt a puppy to you know,

cheer you up a bit.

it worked...
i'm all cheered up
we were able to adopt this guy over the weekend and i am in love
l.o.v.e.

i have had a few dogs to care for and they have all been big...huge dogs...and they have all been girls...this is my first time having a pup with dangly bits.
i have been mom to a rottweiler, and a german shepherd...
and we currently have our lab/chow mix, mandy who in my book is the perfect family dog...
at first...i was a little nervous to bring such a small pup home...but things are working out great...



this guy follows me from room to room and watches every move that i make
i can't get away with anything with him around
i think maybe that's why the mr brought him home to me...to keep an eye on things...
i might be onto something here
*****
in the past few days...i have tripped over him 64 times...
sent him sliding across the floors 57 times and i even accidentally stepped on him this morning...
he's tiny.
under 7 pounds tiny.
i'm not used to animals this small
the cats are bigger than him
but....
he's making his space in our family
mostly right between the mr and myself in the bed at night



i think steeler is mad at us right now because we took him to the
vet to have his you know whats neutered today...
i wonder if a bag of frozen peas works for puppies too?

and they're off...

the littles are back to school today...

the house is quiet...

and the routine is showing itself again

.....

still trying to get over how fast the summer went by...

i could have used a few more weeks...

that sleeping in thing was getting good

now what to do today...

me: simplified

simplifying. that is what we have been working on over here...on decatur street.

mr c and i have been engaging in long talks about future plans for quite some time now...we see ourselves in another house...a bigger home for our copious family...we see ourselves with complete and intentional financial stability...

we see ourselves retired early and vacationing with children and grandchildren...

in order to have those things and achieve those goals...we have decided to make movement now...and we are with full and uninterrupted intent...

.....

confession: this is harder for me than for mr c...

i am a spender...i love nice things...my taste...as my groom has put it...is a little expensive...

i have fallen victim to 'keeping up with the jone's' on several occasions...

i am an impulse shopper...i feel i need rather than want...

and i have put a stop to all of this.

a dead halting stop!

.....

we have decided together to make aggressive changes to the way we spend...

we are on a spending hiatus {somewhat hard for me to type...that sorta makes it official}

at first...

we agreed not to purchase clothes, shoes household extras and unnecessary items for 6 months...

6 w h o l e m o n t h s

then i decided to amend the new shopping hiatus and implemented a small but reasonable monthly personal spending allowance...

mr c rolled his eyes at me when i did this...i rolled mine right back at him.

.....

...as i transition myself into the saving more/ spending less system...i find that i am really jumping into the simplicity that accompanies this plan...

i have to be honest here...

we are grateful that we are not lacking or in need of anything...and

our closets and drawers and pantries are over flowing...

so when i freak out a little about not shopping...i really start to feel ridiculous and immature...

we have begun to clean out every room, closet, drawer, pantry and shelf...

we are ridding our home of the clutter...

purging is an amazing and cleansing feeling

it has led me to more space in our home...

it has led us to discussions and lessons regarding finance with our littles...

and in keeping honest...

it just feels good to make this change.

we know that our future plans will only come to fruition

if we start moving toward them today...

so this is my new journey...my spending hiatus.

i just hope nordstrom and starbucks don't go out of business while i'm away.

just a handful...

...that's how many days we have left until my littles go back to school...

...just a handful of days to enjoy the freedoms that come along with summer break...

i'm not ready for them to go back...

i'm really not...

summer has been so nice

and easy...

and just plain fun.

.....

we have crossed out half of our summer list and are hoping to get to a few more things

checked off before summer break fades into the school year...

.....

this last week will mostly be spent preparing for school...clothes

shopping...finishing the school supplies list...new back packs and lunch boxes...and i am planning to have a

special dinner for the children to mark the beginning of the new school year...something that was inspired by nienie...

.....

we have exactly one week to prepare and savour...

one week left of summer break...