Chicago

If you are serious about going to Chicago the 1st or 2nd weekend in November please email me ASAP. jennschultz@verizon.net

I kinda think that driving to MI City and taking the train into town would be easiest.

Let me know!

She's an American Girl

Another Tom Petty song for Jodi! LOL!

So Summer has been asking for an American Girl Doll for a while. I actually got her a Bitty Baby ages ago on a Chicago trip, and to be honest, she was not into it. There was no way I was spending $100 on a doll (with hair that can be ruined!) that she would only play with once or destroy. She has never been a doll kinda girl. I wasn't going there. But this past spring she decided she was going to save her own money to get one. I am thinking , yeah, right. She gets $6 a week for cleaning the living room each night and keeping her room and Grady's room picked up. She also sets and clears the table after dinner. She basically gets paid for cleaning up after her siblings. So at $6 a week, it was going to take a while. I started to change my tune once I noticed that we would go to Target and she would bring her $$ and choose not to buy anything. Not even Petshops, which are an obsession in this house. In August, we had Xmas with Jason's Grandpa Schultz. He gave each of the kids $50 and made it clear that he wanted her to pick something special with it. We usually make them deposit it all in their accounts, but this time we allowed her to use it towards her doll and some accessories. So this is Julie. She is from the 1970's and the newest American Girl Doll collection.
Summer adores her. I am amazed to see this girl play with a doll.

I promised Summer some photos of her and Julie so she could share them in Show and Tell.
I love seeing her take such great care in setting the doll up.
This is the set that she got to go with the doll. A dog walking set of course! Summer's dream come true! And we also decided that Summer was going to dress like Julie for Halloween and be a hippy girl! She's going to be so cute!

The best part about it is that I can get her very specific stuff for Xmas and will not be so bombarded with playsets. Its nice stuff that will not break, will not take up so much room and that will get played with and not forgotten 5 days after the holiday. My Aunt Julie did this with all three of her girls(who are now 18, 16 and 13) and their stuff is still beautiful and treasured. I want that for my girls too.

So anybody want to take a road trip to Chicago?

Whats new?

Nothing much here. This is T this morning in Grady's room picking her favorite national flag off the world map. So cool seeing the kids take some kind of interest in the big world. Summer has asked for a globe for the last 2 Christmases, but I am just not sure where she could put it, their room is bursting at the seams as it is. I guess if we moved the Polly Cruise ship...;)

We have Jason back from his mini hunting trip, and he will leave again soon for a much longer UP trip. Yuck, I did not sleep for crap the whole weekend. I stay up too late, and leave the TV on. Terrible, I know. Plus before Jason left, he planned on getting the furnace ready to go in case it got cold(it did) but I told him not to worry about it and that we would be fine. Needless to say, it got so stinkin cold the dang thing came on anyway(I am guessing it was turned down to 5o degrees). I was happy to see it would be in the 60s this week.

What else...Summer has school pics today. We got up and I curled her hair and she looked so pretty! Then we went to the car an saw that is was raining and foggy, and I basically watched her hair go straight and frizzy. Oh well. That's why we only buy the tiniest package they offer. mostly for a yearbook and just to have a copy of the pic. Geskus completely sucks and I would tell it right to their faces. Theresa's story on her son is the best example of this ever. I am so sorry Theresa. I would have choked those idiots.

I got new glasses last week. Its been 7 years. That's crazy. Whats crazier is that inflation has gone up so much since then. I think I physically hurt Jason when telling how much the whole thing cost.( of course he has PERFECT vision and is a bit clueless of the needs of the blind like me) Seriously though I was horrified myself, and I am adding good vision for my children to my prayers. For real, $69o. Glasses, contacts and exam. Unbelievable. And I turned down all the extras(except scratch guard/glare reducer) I told Jason it could be my Christmas present. He laughed but I am sure he considered it.

And on the subject of Jason, he found yet another flaw in my blog writing. Its a bit embarrassing for me, I really do require an editor. In my last post I wrote that I was precariously living my life though my daughter, when of course it should have been VICARIOUSLY. I know this. Its my George Bush kind of faux pas. I have a few words that I ALWAYS switch around. that's one of them. Who else caught it? Never mind, I don't want to know.

On the agenda for this week: I have to get a filling this week:( it will only be my 3rd one ever, but still. And actually I am getting 2, one on each side so I think I'll bring a bib for the ride home. Also I am planning a project for a baby shower for next week, and need to get that squared away. Working on dessert for that shower too.

Other than that,its the daily grind. Oh, and after hunting season, I am going to look for a job again. I am thinking retail. Easy, lots of hours to choose from and discounts! Gotta make a little Xmas $$, without sending my kids to daycare. Also looking into setting up an ETSY shop. more on that later:)

The Halloween Game Plan

So I mentioned that I do love Halloween(if only for all the cute scrapbook stuff, but hey whatever) But there is always the issue of the costumes. Teagen is easy(so far) she wears whatever Summer wore at that age, and I just tweak it a bit to make it her own. And last year we had costumes from my Aunt Julie that she still had from her girls. Summer was Minnie Mouse and Tea was the sweetest clown. This year Teagen will be wearing the woodland Fairy outfit, all I have to do is make her a head wreath of ivy and dried hydrangea blossoms from the yard. And we still have the elephant costume that Grady can wear. So that's good. Summer on the other hand is a different story. What she wants is to be a Native American girl. NO clue where this came from(we have not watched Pochontas in years)And of course I found the most BEAUTIFUL costume online for $40! I cant help but to think of all the other "regular" clothes I could buy her with $40, and with me not working...I try to skimp where I can. But I have a bit of a soft spot for dressing as an Indian girl. Allow me to explain.


When I was in the 2nd grade, my class was to have a Thanksgiving Program. The teacher was assigning parts and there were several for Indian Girls. Even though my mom had recently cut my hair short, I wanted to be a little Indian Girl with braids so bad! When it was my turn to be assigned a part I was told I would be a yam. Yes, a yam. OK so at 7 years old, I had no clue what a yam was and actually believed it was some kind of animal, like a ram, and though that it was cool that I was at least an animal of sorts. My mother later cleared that up for me. I was fully informed that a yam was indeed a sweet potato from the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Well, I was not going to be any kind of potato, sweet or otherwise! My gawky, toothless self went to the teacher the next day and asked for a different part. A few kids had 2 parts and I knew that Jocelyn had 2 parts one of which was an Indian girl. She of course was perfect in every way, with the long dark hair and the works. A stunning girl. But I was after her Indian girl part. Instead I got her other part which was a child of the world and I had to dance around with a smelly boy in my class. I got to wear a dress, but I was not happy. And Jocelyn was quite happy to play a yam as her 2nd part. Who knew a 2nd grade teacher could make such damaging decisions? So my dreams of being a little Native American girl have gone unfulfilled. I, of course, cannot have Summer live through such devastation.( I am going to stop here so as to not risk sounding like a complete pageant mom living precariously through her daughter)

Lucky for me that if I do decide to forgo the store-bought costume, Summer is highly suggestible. Last night, I think I talked her into being a farmer and all I would need to find is a straw hat! I also like the idea of a gypsy, and I believe I could wrap that one up at a thrift store. I am again cursing myself for not being able to sew(well).

Oh, but could you imagine the photo ops for an Indian Princess and a Woodland Fairy? That's like Heaven to me;)

September is Out

I had to make a new calendar for the pantry door and as I was erasing September, it just astounded me that the month was over. That we are already into the swing of this school thing, and that we are even enjoying the cooler weather. September was packed with good stuff. We've been to Wheatland, a couple parties, and even a beer tent, I've found time to scrapbook and paint,celebrated 9 years of marriage, I've meet friends for "Chunky" Cheese(that's for Joan;)) playdates, a trip to the orchard, and have even made it to the farmers market. We got Grady in his big boy bed, had a photo shoot( I am so ready to do that again)and got a haircut.

All that and I am almost half way done Xmas shopping! Now that's a good month!

I have to admit that I am not so optimistic for October. Jason will be gone most of the month for hunting, and that makes for very long days. We are for sure Co-Parents, each pretty equal in responsibility for the kids and the house. I do not enjoy being a "single" mother when he's gone. Plus he helps me laugh instead of yell. And he wrestles with the kids. When he's not home they attack ME. And I am a wimp.

October is one of my favorite months. Ya know the typical colors of the trees and all that. And I LOVE Halloween. Not the scary stuff, but love I the the pics of the kids in costumes and Halloween decor and PUMPKINS! Its a good warm up for Christmas.

So for today, I have an eye appointment and get to pick out new glasses. Looking for something trendy, but not the Sarah Palin look. lol! Then I am having 9 dinner guest and need to cook a BIG meal and bake an apple cake. Not to mention the cleaning that still needs to be done. I have finally started the giant canvas for Grady's room. I am pretty happy with it so far, I hope to be able to post a pic of it soon. Its the solar system! Got some other fun projects for the upcoming weeks, so looking forward to that.

For now I gotta go vacuum:)

I Inspire Me Challenge

I Inspire Me (see link on my sidebar) has a textile inspiration this week. The design team has some gorgous work up there!
Here is my inspiration: It s a dish towel and a PILE of lace that was onced used for EVERY SINGLE window treatment in this house when we bought it. I keep it thinking it will make a fabulous bride Halloween costume once I learn to sew(its on the list) At this rate, I should be able to make Summer's actual wedding dress from it. Anyway, I weaved the paper strips to mimic the dishtowels weave and actually chopped off some of the lace for the layout itself.

Thanks for peeking:)

Some more layouts for the month

These are all scans. I make quite lumpy layouts, so usually I photograph them. Its pretty gloomy today so thats not an option. So the photos are darker that they truely are and some of the color is off, but you get the idea...
The one above needs something...



Poor Grady, I did get one of him but its not done yet. I honesty dont try to keep it even for each kid, but when there is not even a single layout of one of them, I start to feel bad!
Thanks for looking!