Loose Ends-- Sometimes it is the little details that truly satisfy.

The details these days are fun and mundane. Just the way I love em. :)

Emmett is still obsessing over letters.

Coincidentally, he's also discovered how to unzip his pjs.

And when the 2 coincide, I find a stash of letters IN his pjs.

I read to Caroline's class on Dr. Seuss's birthday. She reminds everyone EVERY chance she gets that that is NOT his real name. 

She was BEYOND excited!!!

Gwen has been experimenting with hair. Luckily not her OWN head, too much, but she is going crazy with doll hair!

And me? Well, it has been a stressful but well-resolved week. I had crazy anxiety at the beginning of the week, but it ended up working out and that little bird of hope that landed in my soul wasn't squished. What a relief. I did the 17.1 Crossfit workout with my friend, Diane, though we lengthened our time and lightened our weights below the regulation requirements. But we DID it and that is what matters! I've walked through our house with 3 separate moving companies this week and we had a lengthy talk and tour with our realtor. Now I've got this urge to do as much as possible to get the house ready for selling. Still too wintry to do our spring house face-lift projects or to pack away the winter blankets and coats... So what am I supposed to do to scratch this insatiable pack-it-up itch? 

I'll tell you what I landed upon:

I am SCRAPBOOKING!!!

lol, and while that seems like an incongruous leap of logic, bear with me while I explain. 

I can't get rid of this paper and these supplies and this stuff because I might need it to finish my scrapbooks... from High School and college days!!! Yup, that is right. Everything I do for our family photo albums now is digital photo books. But I have all these hard copy prints from back in the day when THAT was the kind of photos I took...

so. Turn this huge pile of hard copy photos

 and this 

 and this into...

THIS. 

And look at the gems I've uncovered! Sisters in Mexico... ah, the exciting memory of my sister getting heat exhaustion after ascending the pyramid ruins and having to carry her on my back returning to our tour bus bc this was before cell phones and we weren't with the rest of the fam.

Or the memories of this gem of a day in Eureka Springs with these awesome HS friends!

 Or this post-caving pic with these gals at Devil's Den!

Weekly soccer with these college pals!

Teaching a fan? English fast? Ah, the wonderful memories with my MTC companion!

Scrapbooking complete. 

Extra supplies donated. 

Itch successfully scratched. 

Next up: donate all the extra stuff we don't intend to take with us. Then:  Take down all the picture frames hanging on the walls and pack them nicely wrapped up in bubble wrap.

Sewing Sewing Sewing

I have been sewing like CRAZY!!!

Seriously, there might be a slight manic to it all. See, I have this stash of fabric and want to deplete it enough that it doesn't spill out of my tupperwares for our move, but I already winnowed out the fabric I don't love. So what remains is all stuff I want to use rather than get rid of... And therefore I have had lots of sewing to do as part of my moving preparations! I've been averaging one completed project a week--- which is lightning speed for me!

I made these awesome leggings which I absolutely adore! I bought the double-brushed poly from printknitstudio.com  and LOVE the buttery-softness and the non-sheer stretch! I found a pair of LulaRoe leggings at Goodwill and used them for a pattern, so basically they are my own version at a fraction of the cost. It wasn't hard, but I did have to take the waist yoke apart and re-sew it because originally I made it too large (I gave extra seam allowance bc I figured I could always make them smaller). So happy with the result!

I sewed the girls Valentine's clothes. Fabric from Girl Charlee-- it has adorable hearts and flowers in a trendy tribal print! I did Gwen's first, so her tunic-style handkerchief hem dress (I used a square circle skirt, if that makes any sense) is exactly what I wanted. Gwen loves the spin! Caroline got the fabric remnants for hers, so a dress was out of the question. She wanted a shirt so she could wear it to school. From all the remnant pieces I managed to get the stripes to line up in the front, BUT the sleeve stripes are not symmetrical, which drives me crazy. But she doesn't care, so I am letting it go. I finally had to put a ban on that shirt because she was wearing it multiple times a week and I wanted it be special for Valentine's Day. At least I know she LOVES it!

Striped handkerchief hem dress with a drop waist dress for me. I got this fabric on clearance, so it was a real bargain, and I knew I wanted to use it for a dress like this. Trouble is that the fabric I had constrained me to certain things because I got the bargain lot cuts. For example, the stripe up the sides is a cool color-blocking design element, right? One that I HAD to use because the panels weren't wide enough. I rather like that element. I would have preferred the drop waist to be not quite so dropped with the skirt length making up the difference (right now the proportions feel a little off to me), but I just didn't have enough fabric for that. I like it even if it isn't destined to be my new favorite wardrobe item.

I made the girls these purple floral dresses. I love this dusty rose fabric from Girl Charlee and think these dresses turned out great! Comfy and cute, what more could I hope for?

I made a maternity dress that I suppose I could model for you, but it wouldn't quite look right. lol

I made this wonderful diagonally striped maxi dress! I think it is so flattering! I will do another post later with more info on my design and pattern-creation process for this one.

And guess what? 

Now I can close those fabric tupperwares!!!!!

Heading to the Gem State!

Well. Both Doctors' signatures are together on the now legally binding contract. 

So it's official!!!!!

Twin Falls, Idaho -- here we come!!!! (In July)

Premature Anxiety--- When Being Organized Can Backfire

I'm an organized person. I make and follow through on lists, charts, clearly defined goals, etc. I consider this a strength as I manage my household, multiple daily schedules, projects, and teaching (my own children being my current focus). I always know what is for dinner, my kids Halloween costumes are half-way completed, and I've got Gwen's piano lessons sketched out through May. But I think the 'planner' gene backfires when it comes to big, life-changing events. Like moving. Where my easy-going-never-plan-anything husband is baffled that I'm even thinking about it yet, I am starting to get moving anxiety! How come I am already feeling this... irritation?...from an event that won't occur for another 10 months? Nearly a full year away, and yet already my mind is cranking out insomnia-inducing lists of things to get done, I'm feeling pressure to start packing, and worrying about all the details!

 Naturally, I'm trying to manage my tendencies by starting early, sorting and decluttering now, finishing projects and such that will clear out my over-loaded-mental-to-do-list.... but it doesn't seem to be enough to assuage the anxiety. It helps to know I won't be 'wasting' things by being rushed into just getting rid of supplies or items I would rather see put to use. So my project to-do list is quite lengthy right now. Everything from Christmas present-making, to clothing items for my kids (that will become Christmas presents by default), to a project my mom commissioned me to do before our family reunion in the summer (which coincides dangerously close to the move and I therefore need to get all of the sewing finished sooner rather than later).

and so is my list of household/furniture/yard work/kid items for which I've got to find homes. 

and my list of projects to finish up around the house like painting, re-do grout, replace broken tiles, replace old boards on the deck and refinish, clear up and beautify flower beds, re-do retaining 'wall' in the front, and deep clean everywhere! 

and my list of things to start packing up as soon as I possibly can. 

I have to admit, it is completely irrational to stress about it NOW when there is still plenty of time and as my dear husband regularly reminds me, "worrying doesn't help at all anyway"...I stumbled across this little quote and thought it sounded like me right now. 

"the rapid dismantling of a carefully ordered space, the tiring physical work, the sudden change to a new environment, and the need to make important decisions on a moment-to-moment basis all combine, like the symbiotic organisms that cohabitate as a Portuguese man o’ war jellyfish, creating a slimy toxic blob of mental unpleasantness."

yup.  I am feeling a little slimy and toxic blob of mental unpleasantness with me all day every day. 

Irrational? Absolutely. 

But it is persistent and only seems to be increasing with the approaching holidays. I know I need to stop stressing and just take things one step at a time... but when the WHOLE PILE is on my mind ALL THE TIME, it feels like I'll crack before the 'one thing at a time' rule adds up to much relief.

Seriously, it is all mental. All. Because my daily tasks are more than manageable and my time is well-balanced and each day is truly happy with my family. But the mental burden is not dissipating. I have to wonder if I'll get any peace of mind until everything is packed (or maybe unpacked?)... 

sounds like it could be a 'mental-blob' next 10 months! lol!