What to do now?

My little Tess has stopped taking naps.

In the afternoon, while her siblings are at school; I am left to entertain.

This little 3 year old does not entertain easily.

She comes to me all day and says, “what I do now?”

There are a few things that I have found that will entertain her for a while.

I made this fun little activity, and as long as I sit by her it will entertain her for quite a while.

You might enjoy doing this with your kids.

Start with a muffin tin.

Cut 12 circles out of different colors of paper to fit the bottom of the tin.

You will also need a cupful of buttons or beads in the same colors.

Then let your little one separate the beads in to the right color of the muffin cup.

It is a fun activity.

It also teaches them about colors; if that wasn’t obvious.

I have also made one for Isaac who is five and learning about numbers in Kindergarten.

He is actually obsessed with numbers.

His circles have numbers on them and then he counts the right amount of beads to put in the cup.

Both activities are a fun game, and time well spent.

Enjoy!!

Halloween Favorites.

It is Monday, October 29th.  I am sitting here at my computer trying to get some things done before we loose power.  I thought I would try to get some posts in to my live writer, and hopefully they will just post for me even if we loose power.  We shall see if that works.  I plan to have this post on Halloween Day.  I tell you this so that my writing makes sense.  I am writing this pre-hurricane, but this will post after the worst of it has hit here.

We are sitting here in our house all hunkered down preparing for Hurricane Sandy and the wrath of it’s storm.  It is raining like crazy here, and water is starting to puddle.  Our basement already has water in it.  It’s a good thing it is just a dungeon down there.  The winds haven’t picked up yet, but I am sure they will this evening and in to tomorrow.(remember I am writing this on Monday, but the worst is to hit us Tuesday)

Post edit: Ok so it is 2 in the after noon here on Monday, the winds are starting to pick up now, and tree branches have started to fall.  The house is starting to rattle a little.

Schools are closed, and even Jonathan got sent home from work.  Which is a miracle for a doctor.  Usually doctor’s work regardless of what is happening outside.  I am thankful to have him home with us.

The sounds of the storm are getting louder.  I once heard that the sounds of a hurricane will drive you the most crazy.  It has been referred to as the sound of a really large freight train.  I feel lucky that in our two years while living in the Caribbean we never encountered a hurricane. 

Now, here we sit waiting out the effects of Sandy here in PA.

 

I will say that it is nice to just be at home all cozy with my family.  I say that now because we still have power.  A few days without power might make me a little crazy.  I will get back to you on that one.

I am feeling bummed that we may not get to celebrate Halloween this year.  It doesn’t sound fun to trick or treat in a massive storm.  Our church trunk or treat has already been canceled and I am guessing that trick or treating might be as well.  I am hoping PA might reschedule that for another day.  I love Halloween night.  We might just stay inside and dress up anyway.

In honor of Halloween, and the possibility of not celebrating it.  I wanted to share a few of my new favorite Halloween additions.

(please note: these are not the best pictures.  I wanted to share these, but it is awfully gloomy outside which doesn’t make for great pictures inside, but you are getting them anyway.)

I received a package in the mail the other day from my friend from High school.(hi Chelsey!)  We were cheerleaders together and never really ran around together, but friends none the less.  We have reconnected through blogs, Facebook, and Instagram. Even thought that is the only form of communication we have, and not to mention I haven’t seen her in 15 years; I consider her one of my dearest friends. She recently moved from Utah to Washington state.  It is fun to have a friend on the other side of the U.S.  It was so fun to receive a package from there as well.  She picked up these darling tea towels for me.

I saw them on her Instagram and fell in love.  They are even cuter in person.  They look so cute hanging on my oven in the kitchen.  Thanks Chelsey, maybe someday we can meet up in Utah and have lunch.

(taken with my iphone)

While my Mother in Law was here she picked up these adorable place mats for us.  They look so cute on our table.

They look even cuter with this quilted table runner that she brought me.  She made this for me, as a thank you for supporting Jonathan along his journey with medical school.  Isn’t that so sweet?

She knows how much I love Halloween, and just had to buy the kit and make it for me.  It is my new favorite.  I told her I need one for every holiday.  Ha ha ha.  I can’t imagine how many hours she put in to making this.  I will treasure it forever.

I grin from ear to ear every time I look at the fabric on the back.  I think it is just so adorable. (everyone all dressed up in their vintage costumes)

Whenever she makes something, she sews a little pocket on it.

Inside the pocket she tucks away a message.  I just think that is such a clever way to leave a thought. 

Thanks Grandma and Chelsey for adding to our Halloween fun.

Now here’s hoping this storm lets up so we can do some trick or treating.

HOME… finally

We finally made it to our new home in PA.

It was crazy to see signs pointing to NYC on the freeway. 

Are we really that close?

It has been a long two months, since we moved out of our old house.  We have done so much since that time that it really does feel like a lifetime ago.

I am really tired…. but

happy to say we are finally settled.

As a mother, there is not a better feeling then having a home to raise your children in.  A place that feels familiar to them.  A place full of routines and continuity.

Jonathan picked out our house mid-June.  It couldn’t be more perfect.  I love this house, the area, and our neighborhood.

Jonathan you did a great job.

We moved in last Wednesday, the 11th of July.

We are finally settled, with every thing put away and where I want it for the time being. 

I am ready to get back to our summer. This summer has been so different.  I think summer should be memorable.  Kids only get a handful of summers.  This one has definitely been memorable.

Many of you have asked for a peak of our new home. 

I took a few pictures today, and want to document this time in our life as well.

I love this house.  We are renting it since we will only be here for a year. 

The home was built in 1940.

 

It is a cute cottage style kind of a home, with fun character.  It is located in one of those neat old established neighborhoods that never seems to loose it’s charm. You can tell it is rich with heritage.  A neighborhood with trees that line the streets.  I love that.

The owners have worked very hard to update and restore this home.

They also chose some very bright paint colors for the walls, but we are working with them.  The colors in this house are very rich.

 

They have done a very good job on the yard.

I love this yard.  We already have a garden.

…and I finally have that hydrangea bush that I wanted.

The yard is covered in flowers.

It also has a nice place for the kids to play with a great gazebo for me to chill under.  Now we need to get some great outdoor furniture.

We also have a nice screened in porch.

Here is a peak of the inside(BEWARE: PICTURE OVERLOAD):

The Den

this room is missing the railing on the stairs. They took it down so we could get our furniture up the stairs. We are waiting on the handy man to come put it back up.

The living room

The kitchen

The dining room

Main level bath

Upstairs bath

Master bedroom

Do you see some of the paint choices I am working with here? I am actually pretty proud of how well I have made things work against such rich paint colors.  

The girls room

The office

The boys room

The play room

 

Yes, you see it right.  Four colors on the wall in this room. I knew this room just had to be the playroom, and I actually like the way it turned out.  I think I might like it better with a more neutral color, but I am not complaining.

It’s amazing how all the things we had in our other house can look different and similar all at the same time in this house.

Visit our old house here.

I am so thankful for the blessing of a house.

I have already jumped in to making meals again, and spending time being with the kids.  I am in heaven.  I am beginning to feel more like myself again. I have already thrown a birthday party for my sweet husband.

 

Yes, he did turn one year older this week.  Happy Happy baby. We love you.

 

We love him so much, we put together this ice cream bar and made a homemade dinner. I am thankful for him and all his hard work. Throwing him a party brought the ME back.  I am feeling even more like myself then ever before.

The kids have made numerous friends, have enjoyed a few outings, and love the neighborhood. They are also so thankful to be reunited with their toys and bikes.

…and Jex has already spent this whole week at Cub scout camp.  I think we have settled in.

I think it’s safe to say that we love Pennsylvania, and we are happy to be home.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us the last two months.  Thanks for your prayers, thoughts and concerns.