Getting Adjusted

 Boy the past 9 days have been a blur. 

We suprised our little buddies and picked them up after Atleigh got out of school. Still not use to that.  When she saw that it was us in the parking lot, she got a little emotional and had little tears in her eyes. Look at that smile. 😍 

We got home and our fun weekend started. We rode the Ranger, scoping out deer, playing and watching movies and eating popcorn. 

That Saturday, I just wanted outside. We washed and took care of our vehicles. They love doing whatever I'm doing so, here we go. 

That Sunday we got up and ready for church. They got to wear one of their little outfits I made them. 

It was time for Daddy to come get them and they went home with him. 

The next day I had a dentist appointment.  I was not looking forward to it since it was prepping for a crown. Atleigh told me to be a good girl and I would get a sucker. 

I got my sucker for being a good girl. Boy am I'm thankful for nitrous.  🤪 I told Dr Wilson if I say anything don't hold it against me and don't tell anybody. 🤫😆😆😆😆😅😅😅 When I saw her, she wanted my sucker. I think that was her intention after all. I had to come home and sleep it off because that evening we had a parent meeting at Atleighs school and I needed to go to represent her Daddy.  Daddy had to work. 

The following week I helped get her to school every morning which is almost an hour commute for all of us here on this end which is her daddy and bonus mom and both sets of grandparents.  It's a long story and I don't want to go into it. We made it work. Daddy has to be at work at 7am, which he will not be able to drop her off at school. When Jordan,  Bonus Mom, transfers dentist offices next month, she will be taking her on her way to work which is still another 20 minutes for her. 😒. So right now while we are home and until she transfers, I get her to school and bring sissy back home with me to spend time with one on one. So how do I do this? Well, they get up at Daddys  house and he and Bonus Mom Jordan gets them up and ready. She doesn't have time to eat breakfast there so Gmaw has it covered. I get ready and come and pick them up. 

I have a picnic breakfast waiting on them. 

I pack it the night before and grab it the next morning.  I wanted to make sure she gets started off to a full belly and nutrition so she can focus and have energy.  Works out great and little sissy gets to eat too. 

After 2 hrs (😬) we are back home and we get ready and she wants to do school. I love this time. 

She wore one of her little outfits I made her but the bow didn't stay in long. Lol

Ya'll,  I did this routine for 4 days straight. It would have been 5 but I had my dentist appt and she didn't have school that day. Lucky for the other grandmother (mommy's mommy). ❤️ Things may get a little harder when we have to leave again but time will tell because these sisters are also fixing to be big sisters to a baby brother. 👶 Neddless to say, my prayer journal is full of prayers right now. 

I always make sure to leave a little early to allow for emergencies or anything that might slow us down and make us late. Which I'm glad because one morning half way there on a two lane road with nothing in sight, both had to potty. They managed to hold it for two miles longer and I was able to pull over in a parking lot and found some privacy and used this:

They had privacy, it was easy to clean and no one soiled their clothes. Phew! That was close. My family makes fun of me for carrying around so much in my vehicle. Well, I'm a genius after all. Na Na Na Na Boo Boo. My motto is: "I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it".  

Me and Sissy used our time wisely everyday. We made some make ahead freezer breakfasts for the next time they are here and we do it all over again. 

Me and Caroline made chaffles with squash and Zucchini hidden in them. She  ate 4  🤫

Then we turned banana nut bread into banana nut French toast sticks. Easy freezer breakfasts. 😊😁

One day she got tired of school and just wanted to do other things like fight with Poppie. 😅😅

She can do whatever she sets her mind to. She folded a king size sheet all by herself. She's 3. She's 3. Is it perfect. No, but she will get there. She did better than some grown ups.

Now that Unkie Dallas has moved out on his own, we are turning his bedroom into their room. Needless to say, that's baby steps. They have always slept in our room.

This was our conversation one day. 

So,I ask Atleigh and Caroline now that Unkie Dallas has flew the coop, would they like to have their own room. You should have seen the looks on their faces. Atleigh said, "we already have our own room, yours and Poppies!" Caroline, looked all sad and said, "But I wanna sleep with you!" 🥺😏 Here's to 15 more years of sleeping in our room Poppie. 😅😅 

However, I slowly started getting them use to it by starting with nap times. So here we are with 50 stuffed animals and 25 stories later. 

Needless to say, we have success now and Poppie is impressed that after 5 yrs he can finally sleep in his bed when they come spend the night. 😁

After waking up a little confused and coming to our bedroom to find us, we get up and now she is in her happy place

 

While me and Caroline are busy, Poppie is too with working on some things in our kitchen so we can start getting it back together. I am so excited. We got our upper cabinets up and now to build the fan for our microwave to go up because that sucker is heavy and then our custom vent a hood. We still have two more long pantries to get and install. Dear hubby is also installing little things like shelves and custom pull out racks. I will do a tour in a later post when mire things get done. 

Atleigh is a week into school and already is a little jealous of me and Sissy spending time together and she does not get to and has to go to school. It's going to be a long year. 😪 

Honestly, we are all having to adjust to her starting school and only have little time to spend with her. That's why I'm soaking it all in and spending as much time as possible. 

The weekend rolled around again and you guessed it, they wanted to stay here. We had more fun. 

We made pizzas, swam, had picnics,  rode the tractor and all kinds of things. 

Sunday rolled around again and they wore another outfit I made. I love them. 

Well, since I didn't have anything with strawberries on it, Atleigh helped me pick out my dress. She did good considering we at least color coordinate. 🎀🎀🤩🤩👑👑 and they love their outfits. They've been twirling all morning and making me dizzy.

I don't get out my phone in church, but I could not resist getting a pic of this moment because I literally had past memories come up with the boys in this scenario. Atleigh is holding the Bible and trying to listen to Bro. Jacob Brimm and Caroline is holding a song book trying to sing along with Cameron Miller on the piano. Now, when Dakota was this age, he always had his little testament walking around trying to "preach". When Dallas was this age, you could hear him bellering all through the house singing The BIBLE, and Jesus Loves Me. Man, if this one pic didn't remind me of them, it was a total flashback. These girls are absolutely their Daddy and Unkie Dallas made over.

After church someone had to potty. 

And then I did too. She does this to me all the time. "CAROLINE! DON'T!"

We came home and ate lunch and rested and took a much needed nap. 

Needless to say when it was time to go meet mommy, they did not want to leave us. Look at that pitiful face on the little one. 

They will be back next week. 🎀👑😍

In other news:

God has answered prayers I have been praying and this is one. 

YES AND AMEN. This is another answered prayer I have been praying. Yes she belongs to us. She's on Team Dixon now. We give God all the glory for this answered prayer. This girl worked hard and studied hard for her National Exam. She was a nervous wreck and didn't think she passed. We knew she did, we just had to convince her of that. Congratulations Jordan Ryan . We are so proud of you.

Dallas is doing great. He loves going to the local base and is in good spirits. He and Brylee are planning a small wedding, we just don't know when. He came by to visit a couple of times and one day I was sleeping off nitrous from the dentist and missed them and then the other I was at Atleighs school for parent night. I finally got to see my other boy one day. Brylee however was with her sister which is about to give birth to twins. We are awaiting the arrivals. 

The past 9 days with our girls have been wonderful. It would have been 10 but I had a dentist appt and was loopy. But this week is all about work and getting our kitchen put back together after renovation. It has been a long time coming. This man has worked hard and some long 7 12s to make this happen. We still have just a little ways to go to completion.

I have some new videos up and going on our channel. I am doing a 3 part series on Sewing for Beginners. Check it out. 

https://youtu.be/QodCg_ENWFE

Homemade Uncrustables

 I want to share this link because I am a firm believer in fixing affordable, healthy lunches for kids. And kids love these. 

https://cookingwithkarli.com/diy-uncrustable-sandwiches/ 

 Cooking With Carly

Back To School Lunches

 It is Back To School Season and I know alot of kids will be taking their lunches. Well, lunches do not have to be boring or lacking in nutrition.  

PHOTO CREDIT Facebook:

This is an example of a homemade lunchable. For around $10, you can buy a small box of Ritz or generic brand crackers, some sandwich meat,  a package of slice cheese, some fruit and a little package of snacks. Viola', you have a lunchable with more left over for a week or two. You're welcome. 

There is a Facebook group called Bentgo Lunches and I live Jennifer Fudge on her YouTube channel Bunches of Lunches. She has awesome ideas for kids of all ages lunch box ideas. Even hot lunches and she shows how to use a thermos properly to keep your kids lunches hot until they are ready to eat.  

I love these lunch boxes too from Amazon. I am not an affiliate (yet). 

You can also go to Dollar Tree or Dollar General and find all kinds pf plastic containers with sections in them like meal prep containers. You can use cupcake liners to keep food separated. 

Just make sure that whatever you purchase, that it is easy for little ones to open and close and open up little packages of food. The teacher only has so much time to help all her students with their lunches. 

God Knows What He Is Doing

 God knew exactly what he was doing when he created this human being. His Momma, aka...Nanny always said he was special and she was right. I believe with all my heart ❤ he was created just for me. God gave him every character trait and he has excelled everyone.  Especially the ones that he knew he was gonna need to deal with me. 😁 He probably whispered in David's ear, "You're gonna need this and you will thank me for it because I'm sending you a crazy woman to live with the rest of your life!" 😅😅 Naw, he is the most dedicated,  and loyal  husband, father,  best friend, poppie, son...etc. He is excellent at every role he has had to play in life. I know this because my family has been the one to SEE and experience it first hand. If you know him you know what I mean. He takes care of what's his. He fights for and guards what's his. Trust me when I say, I have never met anyone like him. 👍He is there when you need him and never complains. I am a little envious of his kindness sometimes and he amazes me. He never short changes or does anything half way. It's go big or go home with him. He never does anything for praise and doesn't care to have any but he is so worthy in my eyes. He really doesn't get enough of  it. He's so loveable and mushy.  Well, only I would know that. 🥰 

I could go on and on but he's probably getting a big head about now. 

I hope you have a very happy birthday my love.

Time Slow Down

 I honestly don't know how I feel about this. I'm crying because she's growing and I can't do anything about it and then again I'm so happy and excited about this new chapter in her little life. Those years of doing school with her and teaching her ABC's and 123's and reading to her non stop because she begged me to teach her some words is going to pay off. She is one smart cookie and she is going to do great things. She is so eager to learn and she soaks it all in. One of my little hearts walking around out there is growing up so fast. 😢 Rock this Kindergarten school year my little Buddy. 🕶👑📚📒🖍🖌

We are home for a little bit and I get to spend some time with my little buddies. Although things are going to be different,we will make adjustments.  I was not ready for her to go off to school.  I will be helping get her back and forth to school and me and Caroline will have some one on one time. 

We are preparing to get our upper cabinets in and start organizing our kitchen and get it somewhat back together. I can't hardly wait. 

Happy Tears

 I have literally cried happy tears 😊. This, This has made me happy. These have to be my most favorite projects I have ever sewn. I gave them my own Matilda Jane flare. The only other projects that made me this happy, were some button up men's dress shirts I sewed my guys years ago and they were camouflage. 

Now ya'll know what has to go with these. Yep, 🎀🎀. 

That man told me the other night,  " Those girls don't need 75 bows." Ya'll can just imagine the look I gave him because then he knew these girls are going to have 75 bows. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Panic

 There is nothing like getting to the end of a sewing project to discover you didn't get enough material the first time so you are praying the whole way to Hobby Lobby that they still have that bolt of material or you are going to have to start all over again. Phew. 😏😬🪡🧵🧷 then you see some pretty fabric for yourself and splurge $24 dollars for yourself to make possibly 3 or 4 things. 🥰

Back To School Time

 Well, it's that time again.  The dreaded back to school time. Gosh, where did the summer go? ☀️  Just as we're having fun, it ends too quickly. Now it's back to rushing around and chaotic. However, it doesn't have to be. 

Now is a good time to establish a plan to get organized and implement ideas to help those busy days go smoothly. 

Here is a list of ideas that have always helped us. 

Believe it or not, your successful day starts the night before. 

1- Establish a night time routine.  This includes prepping things for the next day such as laying out your clothes for that day. This helps so much because everyone is not scrambling around in the morning time trying to figure out what they are going to wear. Of course you need to make sure laundry is caught up. 🙃.  You can even designate a little area and plan your outfits for the week and prefold them and put them into little bins or in the closet on hangers.  Whatever works for you. 

2- fix lunches and snacks the night before and put in the refrigerator.  You can go one step further and take a day and premake a load of sandwiches and some snacks and put in ziploc bags in the freezer. By the time it's time for them to eat lunch, they are ready to eat.  It also helps keep cold lunches cold. Now if you are taking a hot lunch, you will probably need to prepare it right before you leave and put in a thermos. I've known alot of moms to have stations in a pantry for lunches and snacks. If the children are old enough they can grab things for their lunches and fix their own. Jordan Page from Fun Cheap or Free had an excellent lunch system and organization for her children's lunches and how they are to fix their lunches. You should check her out and if you want creative lunch ideas for kids, check out Jennifer Fudge from Bunches of Lunches. I love all her lunch videos. 😋 

You can also take a day and just preprep breakfasts. Like breakfast burritos, egg bites, sausage and biscuits, smoothies, granola with yogurt, or granola bars, fruits. Either you can grab something and sit and eat before you go out the door or you might can grab and go and eat on the way. Some people have time to sit down and eat, some don't. Try to find a creative way to get something in the kids tummy before school.  Some kids eat breakfast at school and that's awesome. 👌 

3- have the kids take baths or showers at night. When they get up the next morning, all they have to do is wash their face, brush their teeth and fix their hair. 

4-establish a good bedtime routine and get them to bed so they can get a good night sleep. Start winding them down early and turn off electronics. Electronics stimulates the brain and it can't relax. You have to literally turn off and unplug before your brain can relax and be prepared for sleep. Sleep is very important for children and brain development so they can learn and function through out their day. 

5- Parents, you have to go through those back packs and check all those papers and etc. You might want to do this every night or even when they come home from school. So you can be prepared to assist with homework,  get ready to buy or make something for class projects or fund raisers or class parties. 

Alot of things can be started as soon as they walk through the door when they get home like #5. 👍 

When they get home, at least give them a few  minutes down time. They have been at school all day where it has been noisey, they are over stimulated,  probably starving , etc. They might just want to chill out, unwind, and have a snack before supper. Give them some time to talk about their day if they want to. Younger kids will be more apt to do this than older kids. As your kids get older,  they want more privacy and start clamming up. That is a story all in itself. I cover alot of this on our Parenting Page. 

Designate a time for homework. Be available to assist when needed. Maybe have them sit at the island or bar or table of the kitchen while you cook. This way you can make sure they are doing it. Lol. 

If your kids have sports or extra curricular activities after school that puts you getting home late, you are really going to have to step up your game and come up with a plan. 

Moms,  if yall work, you might have to incorporate a plan where the whole family can pitch in and help in the house hold and do chores to make the home function smoothly for everyone. Design some chore charts that are age appropriate for each kid. Everyone in the home is going to be busy everyday. This will help the home survive and still function. Put someone on laundry duty or come up with a system where everyone can help. Someone on dish duty after meals, floor duties like sweeping, mopping, vacuuming. Dusting duty. Holding them accountable for cleaning their rooms. I cover alot of these things on our Homemaking page too. I created chore charts for our kids too when they were little and I had a reward system. You can come up with one too. It doesn't always have to be money.  Believe it or not, even toddlers and preschoolers can learn things too. They are so eager to do what everyone else is doing. Not only are you helping your home to run smoother, you are teaching accountability,  work ethics, and life skills. 

If your a stay at home mom, then these things shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure your available for when they all get home and greet them. Make sure you are rested and on top of your game. Busy nights and days is where meal planning comes in handy.  On those busy nights due to extra curricula activities,  get those crock pots and instant pots out. Meal prepping and baking ahead meals comes in handy too. Check into batch cooking or freezer cooking. Those dishes can be taken out of the freezer that morning to thaw and when you get home, pop it into the oven and bake or if it is prebaked, then just heat it up and serve it. Bam. 

School time doesn't have to be hard. It takes planning and organizing. Come up with and implement your own system that works for you and your family to help the day go smoothly and the home to function.  

I hope alot of these tips have helped. 

Enjoy the journey.