Crochet

With the inspiration of my nanny in mind (my great-grandmother on the Gardner side of my family) -- I taught myself how to crochet. ((Okay, okay. That sounds like I just figured it out on my own. I watched YouTube repeatedly!!))

One of my favorite blankets is an afghan that my Nanny made. And since my mom won't hand it over, I decided to learn how to make my own treasures. But before plunging into a massive blanket, I started small. A tiny scarf.

I picked the perfect shade of purple yarn for my sweet girl. When she realized I was making her a scarf, she squealed in excitement! She asked everyday if it was ready. Finally last weekend, I finished it. She wore it around the house that morning, but when we were finally ready to leave for church -- she didn't have it on. I asked why she wasn't wearing it, she replied very matter-of-factly... "I just don't want to."

So much for the excitement.




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Update

It's been way too long --AGAIN -- since I've written here. I only thought I would have more time with my new adventure. Unfortunately, I am busier and more stressed. I am hoping that once I really settle in - it will be calmer. The thing about sales is that when I'm not working, I'm not getting paid. Soooo -- I work ... constantly. At a salary job, it's no big deal to take a break, have a few slow days.... no biggie cause the checks keep coming. Ha!

Thanksgiving flew by and now we're just a few week from Christmas.


This is my favorite picture from Thanksgiving. All the grandbabies. :)


Our house is decorated and ready for the holidays.


And we started the Elf on the Shelf tradition this year. "Sparkie" has been hiding all over the house!


Oh... And I taught myself how to crochet.



Just the usual insanity!!!! :)

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Things my kids say.....

Scene: Chris is playing in the living room with Brady. Kennedy and I are sitting at the table.

She looks at me, and referencing her brother, she says: "Daddy should be careful. Brady has a clemency to bite ."


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In love

I totally fell in love with my son again tonight. From time to time, one of the kids will do something that simply brings me to tears. Tonight, it was Brady who stole my heart.

After running to me when I picked him up from school, he gave me the biggest hug... EVER. You know... the kind where you wrap your arms really tight around someone's neck? Then in the car on the way home, Brady innocently looked and me and asked, "Mommy, daddy cooking?"

Note to self: MOM. MUST. COOK. MORE.

Honestly, I think he said that because Chris cooked last night and I kept telling him that daddy was cooking. Mmmm hmmm... Yes, that's my story. :)

Then, when I asked for a kiss tonight... I got a bonafied, REAL lip smacking kiss. You know how when kids are little they put their mouth to your cheek and just go "Mmmmmaaaaah!" There's no smack... just a sound effect.

Well tonight, I got smack. It was THE sweetest moment of my day.

Kennedy's BFF(L)

Kennedy has totally bonded with a new friend, Kaitlin (seen here on the far left at 50s day). They play together, write notes to each other, they want to start a Book Club together.


Of course, it helps that her mom is wonderful. She's real. Very easy to talk to.



This week, we had Kaitlin in the car and they were discussing their friendship status. They decided they were BFFL. Best Friends. For. Life.

Sweet.

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Halloween!!

I love this time of year. It's getting cooler. The holidays are approaching. And winter snuggles are THE best.

Halloween kicks off the fall and we had a blast this year. Brady was just as much into Trick or Treating as Sissy.

She chose a ninja costume. B wanted to be his super hero Buzz Lightyear. I (reluctantly) decided to not coordinate their costumes this year. Turns out, it was best for everyone. No pouting!! Yay!

Our Hardy friends joined us for the neighborhood trick or treating. Dads stayed home and watched the game and drank beer... uh, I mean -- they passed out candy to the kids in our neighborhood.



The adults had a party, too! Midway to Mardi Gras party was 70s. Us girls and our husbands (who were very good sports) were the kids from The Brady Bunch. Can't you tell? Cindy, Marsha, and Jan? So fun....



And our porch needed some decor as well. Carved pumpkins and Kennedy's clown pumpkin from school. And yes -- those are deer antlers coming out of the head. Kennedy got those on her trip to the camp with Nina and Papa.


Happy Fall Y'all!!

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My life now

What a whirlwind this past month. I will upload photos from Halloween, Kennedy's 50's day at school and some other goodies... (now that I have a new camera battery charger).

My mom and sister have commented that I am just as busy, if not BUSIER, now than I was when I was at LSUS. Well, yes. I think it's true. The reason is that now, time is money. Being on a commission basis means ... no work = no pay. Having a salary allowed me to have a little downtime and it wasn't that big of a deal... cause I'd still get a paycheck. :)

So, if a client says they're interested in coming up with some gift ideas for their employees - I try to get back to them the same day, even if it's after "business hours." If I don't help them, they'll go somewhere else and I'll never get their business again!!

I am happy to report sales for the month at $50,000+!! Of course that wouldn't have been possible without leads from Jean.

So here are some misconceptions about working from home:

1. It's easy.

No... it is not easy. I don't feel like I want to sit on the couch now... but I do feel like if I don't take a shower first thing in the morning - it won't happen. There have been several days where I look up and it's 3:00 and Kennedy is coming home from school .... and I never even washed my face. There is just SO MUCH work, that I have to get cleaned up first thing.

2. I have more time now for other things.

Well, I make time. I could realistically just work round the clock, as I imagine many sales folks do. But I sign up for stuff at Kennedy's school, I volunteer to be the parent on the field trip. I agree to be Room Mom. ... because that's the reason I took this opportunity. I could fill my day with sales, but I force myself to step away. But I don't have much spare time... as you can tell from my very limited blog entries...

3. You can set your own schedule.

Yes... that is true. I do set my own schedule. But there is not a regular routine like before. I knew that I had to get up every day at a certain time, leave for work by a certain time, I'd work out certain days of the week, get home at a certain time, etc. Now - it's up to me. That takes TREMENDOUS will power... which is why I am not working out as much as I'd like.

Things are different since Chris and I both work from home now. We see a lot more of each other now, which has been good in some ways... and an adjustment in other ways. I do truly miss the daily conversations with co-workers at the office, particularly seeing my BFF every day and knowing every detail about each other's days. That has been tough to deal with..

But there is more time now for snuggles, more time for me to spend at Kennedy's school, I have been able to cook (a little), we play outside in the evenings more, I get to help Kennedy with her homework....

So while the transition has been bumpy, I think it's all worth it.