Summer blog Challenge Days 20-22

 I've gotten a few days behind on my summer blog challenge posts so I'm just gonna cram them all together. Its been pretty hectic around here lately, but I'm hopeful that I can get back to blogging and sewing soon.
Day 20 was to post a picture of me when I was younger.

I'm second from the left on the bottom row. This was from when I used to dance, I think I was 14 or 15 here.
And thanks to my childhood friend Gina for posting these on FB so I have the next two pictures of us playing dress up

Day 21: Most recent words of wisdom that stuck with me. Probably that being a mom isn't easy, but its the most rewarding job in the world. I've been having a rough time with Tabitha lately. She is really jealous of Evangeline and has been acting out because of it. But in the midst of her fits and peeing on my floor, there are still those wonderful times when she hugs me and tells me she loves me, and the times when she wants to hug and kiss Eva, or help me with whatever I'm doing. I know the hard times will eventually fade, and I will remember the laughs, the kisses, the jokes, the hugs, how much she loves her sister and what a good person she is. She has an amazingly big heart. She is so sweet and so loving, the other stuff she'll grow out of, but I know she will always be an amazing, sweet, funny girl who I will always be proud of. 

 

 

Day 22:  When I was little there were a ton of things I wanted to be: a teacher, a pediatric cardiologist, a ballet dancer, a writer, a photographer, a baker, but the most important was to be a mom. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom. I got my degree in History (which makes me qualified to say "would you like fries with that" and live in a cardboard box) because I love history. since I was already married while I was in college and I knew that we planned for me to stay home with the kids one we had them, I thought it was important for me to get a degree in something I loved. I still plan to go back to school and get a masters some day, but for now, I'm loving being home with my girls. I'm their first teacher, their boo boo kisser, their dance teacher, their story teller, their photographer, and their baker, all those dreams I had did come true, just in a different way than you would expect. I have everything I ever wanted in life, and I'm so very lucky. 

 

 

Summer Blog Challenge day 14

Give your blog readers 15 tips to get through life.

1. Learn to sew, Even if you don't think you are any good at it, its a really good skill to have.
2. Spend less than you make. We try really hard to do this. Right now its tough because we live on less than $400 a month (rent is paid for by Morgen's financial aid so thats not included), so most months we just scrape by. But its something we strive to do.
3. Recycle. Not just paper and cans, but everything you can. Our planet has been good to us, be good to it by recycling as much as you can.
4. Get to know your neighbors. I never did before moving to Idaho. But Tabitha's best friends are the kids in the complex and I've made some really good friends here too. My neighbors are awesome and I don't know what I would have done without them. They took Tabitha while I went to dr's appointments  when I was pregnant. They watched her so Morgen and I could go on a date. I've watched their kids so they could run errands or go on a date. Neighbors are awesome.
5. Take pictures of everything. We are lucky to live in such a great time that we can easily snap pictures of everything. Someday you will be able to show your grandchildren all the great times you have had because you will have the pictures.
6. Always back up your computer. In this day and age we live on our computers. You would hate to lose everything because you didn't back it up.
7. Try to exercise as much as you can. You'll feel so much better.
8. Be the first to say your sorry. It doesn't matter who was wrong.
9. Send Thank you cards. It really does make a difference.
10. Take time to play with your kids. They won't remember our dirty floor, or the time you left dishes in the sink, they will remember the time you had a tea party with them or played cowboys and indians.
11. If you have more than one kid, make time to do something with them individually as often as you can. They will appreciate that one on one time and so will you.
12. Always ask how your kids day was. Be there for the small stuff so they know you will be there for the big stuff.
13. Unplug once in a while. Take a day, a weekend, or even a week and ignore the email, facebook, twitter or whatever.
14. Take some me time. As a wife and a mom, its important for me to have some time by myself, doing what I like. My family is much better off when I get my alone time on saturday mornings.
15. Eat dinner as a family. We make it a priority to eat dinner together every night. As our kids get older we will continue to do this. No phones, no computers, no tvs. Just family, talking, eating, being together.

The beginning of the summer wardrobe!

So one of my goals this year was to make most of Tabitha's clothes, and while its been a little slow going I have a few pieces ready to show off!

The Pretty in Pink Dress 

Green flower tank with bow, I'm working on a cute skirt to go with this. 

Shirt and circle skirt. The Shirt was made using the same pattern as the top of the pretty in pink dress, then I added some sleeves. The Circle skirt was made using the Made Circle Skirt tutorial. 

I winged this one using the top for the pretty in pink dress and shortening it to add the belt. It didn't turn out exactly as I was hoping but I still like it

The Sweater dress because lets face it we live in Idaho so a sweater dress will last most of the year. 

I have a few more things I haven't taken pictures of and a few things that I'm still working on. I got a bunch of shirts at the DI so I'm working on turning them into dresses or jumpers. 

Hope you all have a productive week. Monday will be a time suck for me as I have to go the the DMV and get my car registered here. yay! Oh and I have to study for the drivers license exam here. I haven't taken a written since 2002 and that was in CA. Wish me luck!

right now

i'm...
watching Tabitha play in her ball house, shes laying in it kicking the walls and throwing balls in the air. Definitely a birthday success present.
thinking about doing a tutorial for the shirt I made Tabitha, but also thinking that its not that good and no one really cares. eh.
Tabitha is crawling on my back as I type.
really wanting to watch America the story of Us on the History channel tonight, I'm taping it for tomorrow.
just finished filling out the transcript requests for Morgen to send to CSU Bakersfield.
thinking I want another cupcake,
wishing Tabitha's cold or whatever it is would go away and I could have my sweetie pie back
Telling Morgen its time for him to be Tabitha's pony, my shoulder hurts
Thinking about how cheap it is to live in Bakersfield
Thinking I'd hate to leave all my friends to go there
knowing that whatever happens the lord has a plan for us.
counting down the minutes till Tabitha's bed time (If i put her down too early she'll be up in 2 hours and then not go down till 12)
trying to figure out how I'm gonna finish the new shirt I'm working on for Tabitha. loosely based on this dress
wanting to make this dress
Its from Tea Collection, I love their stuff but not their prices, yowza!
Excited that tomorrow I'll hopefully get more fabric from the fat quarter exchange I did on Sew Mama Sew!
Thinking I'm gonna use some of the fabric I've already received to do make a dress like that.
Listening to Tabitha "play" the piano with her feet!
Thinking the best sound in the world is to hear Tabitha say "mama mama mama"
Knowing I'm so blessed!

such a slacker

I really haven't been in the mood to blog lately. I know I should, but I haven't been able to just get to it. Things are kind of putzing along as always here at Peschke palace, I'm trying to be up beat and positive, however when your short comings are constantly pushed in your face its a little hard.
Morgen finally got around to putting up Tabitha's swing, but she has yet to use it because he took it down and said i need to put it up each time she wants to use it because of the dew. It's a plastic swing, I can wipe off the dew but I'd like to see him put up her swing while holding her, yeah, not gonna happen. I keep trying to get the taxes done, however Walt bought the tax software and it only works on a PC, I have a mac. Morgen said I can use his computer, however he has so many passwords and other junk I can't get on it, he expects me to boot it up into windows but didn't leave instructions, so yea that didn't happen either. I have gotten some crafting done lately, but of course no pictures, maybe I'll dress Tabitha up tomorrow and take picture. I made her a super cute if I do say so myself capelet, its red satin on the outside and black minkey on the inside. I also made her a new tutu that's red and black with a red rose on it.
I finished a new blue tutu for my shop and I need to send one of the purple tutu's I have as well as some hair bows and Binky clips to the Cora's for calla auction, although it seems to be on hold for a bit as pay pal made her take the donate button down because they considered it gambling.
I picked out the pattern and material for Tabitha's Easter/Birthday dress. Since Easter falls on conference weekend and her birthday is the next day, I'm making one dress for her to wear to church the next weekend.This is the pattern I'm using, I'm making dress B and the coat.This is the material for the dress and jacket

This is what the dress will be made of. I like it because Its not to fancy that she can't wear it for other things and its not obviously Easter. Its nice for her to wear something I made more than once.
This is the jacket and diaper cover material, the jacket will actually be covered with a beautiful blue lace that's the same color that i got as a remnant at Michael Lavine in LA. I'm a little afraid I won't have enough for the jacket in the lace though so if not I'll still have this which i think is so cute.

Ah well, I need to get to posting all the back pictures now