ShellBelle76's Xanga

sewing up aprons - fabritopia style!

Wed, 27 May 2009 21:14:10 GMT

Jona - my favorite pusher - long ago shared the cutest little tutorial for a quick apron. It's just darling. Check it out. For months on end I've wanted to sew up a few, but alas, the little ones have kept me insanely busy. That said, it's end of the year time and you know what that means... teacher gifts! Shortly you'll be able to check out the jona-aprons i'm working on. :) I have 8 of them in some stage of progress, and they must must must be complete by Friday morning. Therefore, I'd best sign off the bloggityblog and get to sewing. Watch for pics soon!

Big hugs to any and all sew mama sew readers out there. I'm not doing a giveaway (blame the little ones) but I want to send a huge thank you out of all of the bloggers who are offering giveaways today. Happy Giveaway Day!

counting my blessings

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:23:35 GMT

It's beyond late, but I wanted to document some of the things the kids are doing these days. I know these little snippets of life will evaporate, so this is my feeble attempt to retain a smidge of these precious days...

at the dinner table tonight, miles said, "mommy, you are my very very best friend." he refuses to eat the crust on peen sandwiches (that's how he refers to p&j) and lately he's boycotting the bread, too. he'd just as soon eat the peen straight off a spoon. he hates going to the doctor now - and he isn't a fan of haircuts anymore, hence the long locks. last week sean was in arizona for 5 days - miles went to bed with a picture of sean and i every night that sean was away last week. he cried a little almost every night because he missed his daddy so much, and when thursday evening rolled around, he was beyond excited to see sean return from arizona. parenting on my own for 5 days and 4 nights was an education. "mommy, will you come in my bed for a few minutes?"

last night, piper got sick for the first time. really sick. not just drippy nose and icky cough sick, but full blown stomach bug sick. and my heart broke as sean and i tried our best to soothe our pipergirl. she's all but given up her morning nap - so much earlier than miles did. miles was sleeping twice a day up through 15 months, but at 10 months or so, piper started dropping that morning nap. for her it is an inconvenience. even so, she continues to nap well in the afternoons and covets her early bedtime. the girl loves to be in bed by 6pm.

miles is 100% on the potty. about three weeks ago, he and i had a discussion one tuesday morning. i was entirely done with him being in diapers as i knew he knew what he was doing - and i knew that he would control it when he wanted to, and would choose to use his diapers when he preferred to keep playing. he was ready. so i told him he was done with diapers. and since then, he has had one accident - been dry every night and every nap - he just runs off to do his business, washes up and returns very proud - always asking for chocolate and gooby worms. dipes are in the rear view mirror now.

my pipergirl is crawling around like mad. she loves to pull up on the bookshelf in the family room. she managed to get herself stuck in the base of her exersaucer this week - and sure enough, sean reminded me that miles had done the same thing two years ago... i caught her standing in her crib last week, and she is not a fan of dipe changes. she constantly tries to flip. for such a wee thing, she's quite strong! she is changing incredibly quickly now - much more vocal. she thinks miles is hilarious. when he laughs, she laughs. and whatever he is playing with is the most fascinating toy she has ever seen. his paci/blankie are of particular interest.

miles and piper - you bring such light to my world - i love being your mommy.

and sean - if you read this - you are an amazing father and i couldn't do this without you. i'm thankful God orchestrated this beautiful messy life of ours.

It's the MOST wonderful time of the year

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:39:39 GMT

I've said it before - and I'll say it again... It's been crazy busy around here. (in other words - life moves pretty fast. if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. thank you, ferris! that's why i try to blog once every few months!)

Kids are growing fast and fierce - Piper is *this* close to crawling - Miles takes an astonishing amount of joy in seeing the Christmas lights turned on each and every day - we've celebrated holidays, learned new things, created useful and beautiful gifts, organized, cleaned and straightened about 30% of the house (trust me - that's a huge accomplishment for me!) - all in all, our family is incredibly blessed.

In the interest of full disclosure - it's not all roses. I have been pulling my hair out trying to juggle my responsibilities. I've had to cut a few things out of my to-do list in order to regain some sanity. Mind you, I'm only seeking to regain some sanity. Not all. That would simply be too much to ask. :) I'm looking for ways to incorporate exercise into my daily routine. It's critical for my health - emotional, physical, mental. So this is a non-negotiable, but it will require sacrifice. I'm trying to figure out the way to solve my problem without putting too many other people out! :) Sigh. Always a conundrum.

The good news: Classes end next week and I give my final exam the following week. We're heading off to Texas for a visit with our dear family and friends as soon as we wrap up Christmas Day here at our home. I'm so looking forward to spending time with my parents and brother - they adore the kids, and everyone finds lots of reasons to laugh when we're all together. We'll be getting together with my oldest friends when we're there - and that is cause for much rejoicing! Oh... this is truly the most wonderful time of the year :)

Have a blessed Christmas season! At the rate I'm going, I may not be back to post again before the new year, so have a Happy New Year, too ;)

Loving this life

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:18:36 GMT

Since my last post, we've been crazy busy! We seem to fill weekends with activity and enjoy every minute - well, almost every minute ;) Where do I begin...

We attended a safety fair and it was a hit primarily for the bounce house and firetruck bucket rides...

Sean turned 35...

We took a trip to Baltimore for a weekend - my parents flew up from Texas for a couple days and we decided to just meet them near the airport and stay in a hotel to save them from driving any more than necessary. And I'm not kidding when I say this is the best picture we have of the four of us - EVER...

Piper started solids...

Our neighbors share from their harvest...

We went to the State College homecoming parade...

Miles ate too much candy at the State College homecoming parade...

Piper steals Linda's chair at the Maces...

We attended the Boalsburg Fire Company open house...

Mommy had some girltime with Carrie and her daughter...

and that brings us to THIS weekend... What a wild and wonderful couple of days... My parents flew in Friday and out on Sunday. Those 36 hours are priceless to me. I do adore my mom and dad. And if you think I'm joking about 36 hours - I'm entirely serious. They arrived around 6:30pm on Friday night and left our house at 6:30am Sunday morning. From start to finish - we enjoyed a whirlwind of activity!

Saturday morning began crazy early. Piper was up and chatting away at her grandparents by around 4:45am. Thankfully Nanni was happy to be up, so she took Piper out to the family room for some girl chat so my dad could sleep a bit more. Piper was ready for another rest by 5:45am, but Miles decided he was up for the day by around 6:30 or so. Nanni and Pop-Pop weren't going to waste another minute in bed, so everyone decided to get up, rise and shine!

The four of us left Sean and Piper at home to slumber and took off for an adventure. Dunkin Donuts was our destination and Miles practically inhaled the tops of at least 5 chocolate frosted donuts. He doesn't want to eat the bottom. Only the top. And of course, with Nanni and Pop-pop in town, I decided to not enforce the "no more donuts until you finish what you have!" Chocolate ALL over his face. Unfortunately I forgot my camera.

From there, we returned home and gathered the rest of the crew so we could head off to Way Fruit Farm for the annual Fall Festival. This was our third year taking Miles and the first for Piper. We took a wagon ride out to the Pumpkin Patch - picked apples in the grove - flung apples with the sling shot (so funny!) -ran into many many friends - tasted kettle corn, apple cider and apple butter - the list goes on and on. Fun was had by all.

Afterwards, everyone hunkered down for a nice nap before gearing up for Penn State's win over Wisconsin. Sunday morning, before the sun had even peeked over the horizon, Mom and Dad hopped back in the car to head to the airport. Miles woke up to say goodbye to his Nanni and Pop-pop.

Then it was time for church - the Alpha Fire Company open house where we played dress-up and took an engine ride - back home for naps - then up to Harvest Fields for Calvary's Fall Fest.

I went back up to the office for my office hours and then to the grocery store to get us stocked for the week. By the time I fell into bed, I was completely. wiped. out. And yet, I wouldn't change a thing. :)

I'm loving this life.

finding my feet again

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:37:38 GMT

Been a while since my last post... Over the past few weeks, I have had a lot floating around in this little noggin of mine. Truth be told, this blogging thing requires very little of me. But it does require time and clarity. Unfortunately those two in short supply around here. But things have been good lately. And so with this post, I'll share a few of the things that are happy these days...

First off, tailgating rocks. With our amazing collection of friends and family, Sean and I have a blast every time we tailgate. Here you see Sean's gorgeous Aunt Lisa. What a joyful spirit...

I'm loving teaching again. It's just two nights a week, and I really do enjoy the students and the lecture. There are drawbacks, to be certain, but right now, the one class is a perfect fit...

Piper is big into rolling and rotating. She flips the one leg over and the rest of the body follows. So fun!

There is a crispness in the air as autumn approaches. Before long, the leaves will be turning. I'm coming up on 10 years of living here, and autumn has never been embraced the way it should be... For me, autumn has always meant, "ugh, winter is coming." But this year, I want to experience autumn the way my husband does. He loves it. I want to love it too! Winter will NOT ruin autumn for me this time around!

Miles is back at Stay & Play - he just walks right in and gets straight to work (playing with tractor trailers). Oh how I love them. I may be exhausted, but I so love being a mom.

How cute are Piper's newest cloth dipes?!? Huge thank you to Christy - they're perfection. And that journal - it's from THE Jennifer Paganelli. Yes - the one and only. I just love Jennifer.

Hope everyone has enjoyed a full weekend of R&R. If you're willing to share, I'd love to know what has you grateful this week... Share a comment!

xoxo,

Shelley

The need for recovery

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:00:40 GMT

It's fall arrival in our neck of the woods, so Sean's going crazy with work. I'm stressed for any number of reasons. Miles is so incredibly two and Piper just flipped back to front. There's a lot going on in our world... Even so, I'm grateful for my fabulous husband. For my precious children. For my amazing parents and incredible friends. For the roof over my head and the gorgeous sunshine beaming down on that roof... I could list 1001 things for which I am grateful.

But one thing I just cannot be happy about is the fact that my friend Kristin is gone from this world. I'm not grateful for that. I suppose I should be grateful that she's in heaven - that she's free of this earthly body - that she's in the presence of God... But instead I'm selfish and wish that she were here with us - with the people who love her on this side of heaven.

The handy what-people-expect-Christians-to-say response is she's out of pain, she's no longer suffering, she is experiencing the fullness of glory in heaven... But my no-one-is-perfect-so-I'm-not-going-to-pretend-to-be response is that cystic fibrosis sucks. I hurt inside knowing that she even had to suffer in the first place. Why couldn't God let her dance as a bride to Jason before He took her to heaven to dance with Him?

I trust God. I just wish His plan had been different.

To end this post on more of an up note, I'll share something Kristin wrote me in July... I seriously think you have some of the cutest kids ever. Though, if I ever have kids I reserve the right to change my mind - but till then, yours get the prize ;)

I miss my friend. But she would want us to smile and laugh. So here's a couple pics of Miles & Piper to help you do both...

Highs and Lows

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:58:15 GMT

So Monday when I mentioned that the kids were a bit off... Remember that? Yes, well, that proved to be the first sign of what would ultimately be identified as a wretched cold. Our entire family is showing signs, but Sean is doing best of all. He has a crazy immune system. He never gets sick. Miles is still yucky - I'm getting worse - and poor Piper is sad and drippy and sneezy.

Kristin continues to struggle. An excerpt from the family update reads... "Please continue to pray that God's will be carried out in Kristin's life. We know that if it is His will that she be healed, it will happen at the appropriate time. We also know that if it is His will that she go to live with Him, she could be in no better place. Of course we share with you the desire that she have many more years of health here with us." And we continue to pray.

In the midst of all of this, my dear friend M welcomed a baby girl into her life yesterday. My friend and her husband have one son - and Thursday was an incredible day for this family of now four. M called as she was holding her daughter, and though I missed the call, I've listened to her message on my machine several times since. The joy and awe and wonder in her voice cannot be adequately described. The beauty of a mother laying eyes on her daughter for the first time - oh, what an amazing moment.

This mother hopes her baby girl will slumber in her arms for a bit this afternoon. Her nursing is slowing - her breaths evening out - eyes closing - and she's out... Wonder how long it'll last. However long - it's a precious gift.

Out of Sorts

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:39:52 GMT

Kristin's white blood cell count continues to rise. And I continue to pray for a miracle.

It's a Monday, to be sure. The kids have been a bit off. I'm stressed over going back to teaching in just two short weeks. The days are long. Some days are longer than others. But the weeks, months, and yes, the years are so short. So very short.

My shirt may be covered with jelly and the laundry bin may seem a bottomless pit, but there is so much beauty in my life. I have lungs that work. I have kids who forgive my failures. I have a husband who loves me far better than I deserve.

I may be a bit off today - a bit out of sorts. But I'm grateful all the same. I can be sad and stressed and grateful at the same time.

My friend is sick.

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:36:30 GMT

My two children sleep sweetly in their bedrooms as I sit praying for a miracle. My dear friend Kristin is very sick. I trust God holds her in the palm of His hand. I believe His word - that her soul is secure in Him and that He is good. I just wish things were different. Very different.

I pray for a miracle - that her kidneys would be restored - that the bleeding in her lungs would stop so the infections would not gain a foothold - that a new set of lungs would appear at the precise time she needs them most. I pray for life. I pray for wholeness. I pray for healing. I pray God would be glorified through Kristin's life. I pray that I would understand and accept all that God provides. I pray for peace.

With that, I'm going upstairs to peek at my sleeping babes - two reminders of the blessing and goodness of my God.

Every moment with our loved ones is a gift. Even the moments overflowing with tears.

The Good Life

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:46:58 GMT

Piper is such an angel baby. She's growing like a weed, and this is cause for much rejoicing! The pediatric nephrologist tells me growth is key for her. If we observe her growth slowing, we should worry. So we're super-excited that she's outgrowing her 3 month clothes :)

I'm enjoying dressing her up as girly-girl as possible. Thanks to Britton and Kath, Piper has no shortage of darling apparel. I just need more bows. I know, I know - I'm throwing that "need" word around again. But seriously - isn't she cute as a button with that bow on her noggin?

As for Miles, we've been busy. We have gone back for more strawberries.

We've made many a trip to the local parks.

Daddy and Miles went to a bedtime concert at the library.

We enjoyed Touch-a-truck day last Saturday.

And he has pretend-mowed the Mace's lawn about a thousand times.

As Grandpa Witzig often said - life is good.