Let's play ball!!!

Baseball season has officially started. Little league baseball to be exact. Boo will be playing this year. He already had his first practice and he loved it. I love that it is at the school so Roo can play on the playground and I can run during his practice. Talk about a great way to multitask. He is going to have 3 practices a week and each practice is 90 minutes long so I should be in great shape by the end of the season. Boo needs a bit of work on his throwing and catching but he has a good bat.

The low carb adventure has been going well. I am down about 12lbs since starting it last month. I cannot believe the change. I have more energy and I don't feel crappy all the time. I still have the occasional treat (like pizza night) but I really limit it so I don't feel sick the next day.

The kids are on school vacation this week, I have the next three days off, and the weather is crappy. At least my house is mostly clean so we will be able to go do fun stuff. Plus J is off work too so he will be able to join in. Boo has baseball practice on Wednesday and Thursday morning unless they cancel it. It is supposed to be cold and rainy so I hope they do. I am also going to try and work on some sewing projects. I really need to get material to make baby pants for my cousin's baby. I also want to make Roo some more doll clothes.

Saying goodbye to carbs

I need to get into shape for summer and I have decided that means saying goodbye to carbs. Not all carbs, just bread, pasta, potatoes, rice. The ones that taste good. I have basically gone primal. So far it has been working other than the fact I really miss Jalapeno Cheddar Combos. Those things are addicting. I have also been running again now that it is getting warmer. Spring is finally coming to VT. We had one week that was beautiful then two weeks of cold and now it is warming up again. 

Now that spring is here I need to start my garden. I have a bunch of seeds and a starter tray so we will see how this goes. I do not have a green thumb. Both of my grandparents were great gardeners but I cannot keep plants alive to save my life. If there is ever a zombie apocalypse and we have to rely on my growing food and J's hunting our family will starve. 

Sadly, I have stalled on the craftiness. I need to start some projects for my cousin's baby but I just haven't yet. I am making him an adorable teddy bear sweater, a taggie toy, and a snugglely toy. I may also make her a diaper bag. I love making baby stuff. I can finish it fast enough that I don't lose interest.

Clutter

I hate clutter. It makes me anxious. I like everything put neatly in its place. Yet, since we have moved in to our new house I have a bunch of clutter. It is driving me nuts. Part of the issue is a lack of storage areas. This house has few closets. Another part of the issue is having an extra person in the house. I need to start going through this clutter and start getting rid of it but it seems to paralyze me. Having all this stuff around just overwhelms me.

Unfortunately, most of the clutter is not mine so I am very limited in what I can do with the clutter. I have also found since I started my housekeeping job I have an issue cleaning at home. I am so sick of scrubbing, washing, vacuuming, and folding by the time I get home that I just don't want to do it. Then it piles up and makes me want to just ignore it even more.

I think I need to get back into a routine like Flylady again. I will start by decluttering one area each day until everything has a place. Once I get that done I will just have to keep up with it. I am hoping that J will help me with this. I will also have Boo and Roo start doing chores to keep their stuff cleaned up.

Some completed sewing projects

I have decided that Roo's AG dolls have a better wardrobe than I do or at least they are going to. My sewing machine has been humming the last few days. I finished a skirt for Roo, a skirt for her doll, and I fixed her precious pink blanket. Pictures will be posted some time tomorrow. Next is a pair of hot pink corduroy pants for Roo's doll, some jeans for her doll, and a couple of t-shirts. Then I need to go get some new fabric.

I think I may buy some cute baby boy fabric. My cousin is pregnant and just found out she is having a baby boy. I am so excited to welcome a new baby to the family. This way I can love and snuggle on him but not have to change diapers. I already have a plan to make a blanket, bibs, burp cloths, and a diaper bag. The best thing about new babies is the chance to do a bunch of sewing and knitting.

Getting creative

This post is about what happens when McCalls emails you telling you that they are having a huge pattern sale. It was a great sale. All their patterns were $1.99. So I decided to browse the American Girl sized patterns and I bought them. Not all of them but quite a few.

A few of my goodies

 

 

 

More of them plus a Simplicity pattern I got somewhere

Unfortunately, my fabric stash is sorely lacking. I do have some nice hot pink corduroy I just picked up. I also picked up some teal knit and denim. I have a small stash of other fabrics mostly woven cotton and some flannel. Now I just need to figure out where to start. I want to start with all of it. I know that I will have to make most of the outfits for Roo's three dolls. She thinks that they need lots of choices. I am thinking that some pjs, a pair or two of jeans, and some tops will be a good start. Of course, I also have to make Roo a few summer skirts and may make them matching skirts.

I suck at blogging

I have come to the realization that I suck at blogging. The problem is I never remember to blog and when I do think about it, I never have anything interesting to write. I am going to work on this issue. I am also bad a tweeting for the same reason. I have had so much happen in the last several months. I started a new job, J started a new job, we moved, the kids started school again, Hurricane Irene took out our town, the transmission went in my van, and the holidays happened. That is the brief news cast. Now for more details...

Hurricane Irene, that is the big one. Luckily, the house we were living in was fine. Our driveway and part of the road but that was it. I ended up at the local emergency shelter with Boo and Roo because I was trying to get to Dover to wait the storm out. We left about 30 minutes too late and were almost trapped. Luckily, God was with us and we were safe. We spent a day and a half at the shelter. I helped in the kitchen and then J came for us. He was at work during the storm and his hotel was used as an emergency shelter so he was working for most of the night. Downtown Wilmington was completely underwater. Many businesses and homes were destroyed. However, there was only one fatality. A young woman who could not swim got swept away and drowned. It has been months since the flood and the town is slowly being rebuilt. Many of the businesses have reopened. FEMA and the VT National Guard were amazing, as were the thousands of volunteers from all over.

J is working in bell/valet at a hotel at the local ski mountain. He likes it. He is a people person so this is great for him plus he got to meet Chris Rock. He is a huge Chris Rock fan. According to him Mr. Rock is very nice, down to earth, his wife is friendly, and his kids are adorable and well behaved. My new job is housekeeping at a local inn. It is remarkably similar to my old job of stay at home mom except I can clean without kids underfoot and I get paid. I love getting paid.

Now for the move. We moved about 1.5 miles up the road from our old house. We are the only house on an old dirt road. I love it.  The house has 3 bedrooms and is very old. It needs some work but luckily, J is handy. I am hoping we can eventually buy the house from our landlord. I could easily see us living here forever. Right now J's brother is living here too. He is moving out in a few months though so we are debating what to do with his room.

The kids are in school. Boo started 1st grade and Roo started preschool. School is going fairly well. Boo has had some major behavior issues this year but has started to get better. Academically he is well advanced and I think boredom is part of the issue. His temper and impulse control are the rest of the issue. Roo is doing very well in preschool. She has many friends and received a Shining Star award from the school. Her teacher nominated her because she always does what is asked with a smile and makes the classroom a positive place. I am very proud of her but wonder if they confused my kid with another.

As for my van and the holidays, it was hectic. Just a few days before Christmas the transmission went in my '04 Ford Freestar. Apparently, this is an extremely common problem. So common they recalled it about a week after we sold the van for $1000. Jay got me a Jeep Grand Cherokee though and I love it. I just wish it seated more than 5. It is a tight squeeze when my BIL rides with us which is often since he flipped his car. J got a Jeep Wrangler to replace his gas hog of a truck. For Christmas, the kids were completely spoiled. They got several ZhuZhu pet sets, Boo got a remote control helicopter, Roo got a few American Girl dolls (one for her birthday and one for Christmas), and we got them a bunch of board games. I am in the process of creating an entire wardrobe for Roo's dolls because they need to change clothes several times a day. Good thing I like to sew and knit, have a decent fabric and yarn stash, and there are tons of free patterns online or this could be expensive.

A new start to the school year, a career change, and an injury

It has been a busy summer and now it is almost over. The kids start school on the 30th. Boo will be in 1st grade and Roo will be in preschool. Her preschool is five days a week. That means my career will be changing from a stay at home mom to something else. What else I am not sure of yet. I have been looking into part-time housekeeping jobs because they are flexible. I need something that leaves me free to drop off and pick up the kids and take Fridays off since Roo only goes until 12 on Friday. J is also changing careers. The tile business has been slow so he picked up a job doing bell/valet for the ski mountain. Between his wage and the tips he should be making good money plus the hours allow him to still do flooring. 

Now the injury. I sprained my ankle playing kickball. I was running to 1st base and J was trying to get me out. When I hit the base my ankle rolled and I felt a pop. I went for x-rays and luckily nothing is broken. This really stinks because I was about to finish week 5 of C25K. Now I am not sure I will be done by Oct 1st when the 5K starts. I may try running tonight to see how it feels but the ankle is still pretty swollen.