It's The Second (and third) Week That Get's Ya!

Hello Everyone!!!
Well, we made it through the first few weeks of school. Some of us better than others! Sarah and Devon LOVE school and Brooklyn....ummm...not so much. She got sent home everyday of the second week. The nurse thought she was sick....but in fact was not...just missing being home. So that made the third week...awful! We had to pull out all the tricks. Stickers, money and bribes were involved!!! LOL!!! Hopefully, it will be easier in the next few weeks. Poor thing...bless her heart.
Devon absolutely loves Kindergarten. She can read the work YES and spell it too! Sarah got switched to the enrichment class and now actually has homework. For the first two or three weeks she had very little to do. She also got picked to be a safety monitor; as students are coming and going into the building she helps....hence the safety patrol belt!

I made Brooklyn a dress to match her backpack!!!

Cute little Devon!

Other things we have been up to this month:
As part of our yearly tradition, we headed to a local restaurant which hosts the Annual Rock Paper Scissors contest. It's a fundraiser for Cape May Stage. Unfortunately it was a rainy day and only a few people came. All three girls entered the Rock Paper Scissors contest. Brooklyn went first and won 2 rounds. Sarah won three rounds and Devon won one. It was a fun night! We even made the local paper!
Attempting to taste mommy's lemon!





Speaking of Disney....well, its always on my mind! LOL! Aunt J. sent a Disney package filled with goodies for the girls! They were absolutely thrilled! They received a pin trading starter kit, an autograph book, Donald lips, a pen, buttons and luggage tags!!!!! They modeled their lovely gifts just before bedtime! We are getting so excited to see everyone! Thank you so much Aunt J!!!!

I took a pic of the mountains of papers and stuff to grade. This was just a few days of work! Ack!
I organized my sewing area before I went back to work. I had scraps galore....and my fabric was in a cabinet and I couldn't see a thing! So, I folded and organized my scraps for appliques into this bin. Now I can see what I have by color.
I got a free used cabinet from our old pre-school teacher (...she's not old...just didn't want to confuse her with the current pre-school teacher...lol). Now I could put all my fabric into order and see it. The top shelf is fabric ear-marked for current projects. My JP fabric is on the left!
These are my non-Disney projects. Carla and Jennifer are getting ready to release a new pattern!!!! (See below for a sneak preview!) Can't wait.... I think I may use that blue and brown fabric for it! There will be an adult and a child version!!! yaaa!!!!
The middle shelf with the blue bin is Disney stuff I am desparately trying to finish in the next two weeks. I have tees in the blue bin and fabrics for various things on the right!
The third shelf is fabric that has been used but I have more than a yard left of it. And the bottom shelf holds my Janome books, sheet sets for fabric and a grey bin with my quilting stuff. My poor quilt got put on the back burner when I started sewing for Disney in Feb. After our trip, I will do that first thing! And there you have it! I felt much more organized after that!

I redid Sarah's A-line top for 1900 Park Fare dinner. I made the step-sisters larger and took off the apron. I added the names instead right to the dress. I like it much better. She will probably wear a pink tee underneath.

I made Devon and Brook a flouncy skirt and peasant top for school. I actually have 4 more skirts and another top to make. Ummmmmm.....getting to it....someday!

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We have had some gorgeous late summer weather! And some very rainy days too. Here is everyone outside enjoying a bike ride with daddy!

Ready for a little sneak preview????? Devon's top was a special surprise from my friend Carla! It is an up and coming pattern to be released soon! Thank you sooo much Carla! We LOVE IT!!!! The fabric is JP of course....It is amazing! I love the colors together!)

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And finally, the last weekend of the month we got to celebrate my little baby...opps I mean my little girls 6th birthday! Happy Birthday Devon!! She requested a girl pirate party months before and that is exactly what she got! I ordered decorations and activities from Birthday Express and Oriental Trading. Great stuff!!!! Sarah had an old costume when she was a pirate and wore it to the party...at least for the first hour. Apparently it was a bit itchy. Here is everyone before we left for the party:

We had the party at a local ice cream place. First the kids colored pirate bandannas and then decorated pirate hats. Then everyone ate hot dogs, chicken fingers and fries! Yummy!
After they finished we went outside for a fun game of mini-golf. We hid gold coins and gave each child a bag...as they played, they found the coins and put them in their bags.


Silly glasses during lunch! LOL...that was a hit. They didn't fit in the pinata so I put them on the table...fun!

After golf, we tried to break the pinata. Unfortunately it was steel reinforced. No amount of hitting made any difference. So, I had the kids stand on the other side of the railing and I broke it open...yaaaaaa....they filled their bags with lots of chocolate pirate booty!!!
Then we came in for cake and ice cream! I had the cake made at our local grocery store and they were supposed to make it more girly with lots of pink. Didn't happen. Apparently Devon wanted the deck boards to be pink...lol. It was delicious all the same and the kids loved their sundaes too.

We opened presents...some there and some at home and the party was over. What a great party...it was so fun and relaxing! Much better than having it at home I think! (Read...less work for mom!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET DEVON GIRL!!! We love you!!!!

This brings me to the end of todays blog post!!!! We have a little more than a month before our Disney trip and I have so much to do still. I am making lists at this point to make sure we get it all done! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! Be back next weekend with more updates!!!!

47 Days!!!

Story Time Castle

Windsor Hills Pool and Clubhouse

Our home away from home!!! Or it will be in just 7 short weeks! Where is this you ask? Glad you asked. It is the Story Time Castle in Windsor Hills in Kissimmee, FL. It will hold our grand gathering of family and friends during our week-long stay. I love this house! It is huge...6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and each room is expertly decorated, especially the kids bedrooms. It has a pool, spa and gameroom too. The resort itself also has a huge pool and clubhouse, playground and manned gate. Best of all its about a mile from Disney property! I am hoping everyone will be happy and comfortable and enjoy the reunion!!! For more detailed info about the house, here is the website: http://www.storytimeorlandorental.com/143552.html. The owners are very quick to answer questions.

Besides sewing, which you all see progress on, I have been pouring over Disney literature and websites planning our vacation. I forgot to mention that due to work, I am missing half of it! Ack! So I am carefully planning the days that I am there so I can fit in everything we need to! I basically have 5 park days. And since the little girls will tire, we are only going to one park a day for half the day. We will get up early and make it to the 9 am "rope drop" (opening of the park), tour according to plan, have a picnic lunch and leave the park between 2 and 3 pm. We are hoping to visit Magic Kingdom twice and the other parks (Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom) once each. Our mantra is to see the best of the best. I made a touring plan based on everyone's likes and will attempt to get the girls to those attractions and visit all of the characters/princesses in that short time frame. The remainder of the day is for visiting with family and friends and relaxing! This vacation has been in the planning stage for almost two years. I just can't believe it is almost here! Wow!

Some things additional things I have added:

Shhhh....Top Secret Trip to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for the girls before the park opening. Additional update...my friend is bringing her daughter too...so we can share the fun and excitment (and tears)!

Stroller Swap...We will pick up and drop off a double stroller to use while on vacation. We pick it up from the person before us on the list and drop it off at the next resort. Best of all, its free!

Photopass Share....I was able to share in this with a small group of people. A friend is organizing it and it really cuts costs. As photopass photographers take pictures at the park, they are saved and eventually loaded onto a website. When we return home, we pick the ones we want...add decorations and whalaaa....pictures from trip!

Special Meals...When we stay on-property we usually get the disney dining plan. It just makes sense. This time, we are not, so I only planned a few formal meals. The first one is with my best friend and her girls. We are spending an entire day together at Magic Kingdom and we are all going to be in matching tees! Then we will be eating lunch at the Crystal Palace! We even have special tees for the meal. I also scheduled a dinner before Spectromagic and Wishes at 1900 Park Fare. Its a character buffet dinner with Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the Step-Sisters. Apparently its a hoot! However, I had to make an early reservation which may end up being cancelled if the girls are too tired. Finally, I scheduled a character breakfast in Hollywood Studios at Hollywood and Vine. The characters from JoJo Circus and Playhouse Disney visit the kids while they are eating. I actually made this reservation for a late breakfast so we could get a good chunk of our touring done before we eat. The only other place I really want to try is the Dinosaur restaurant in Down Town Disney. But we shall see.

Packing...I pack about two weeks ahead of time. This time I will be attempting to fit all those outfits I made into a suitcase or two. A major feat! I am lucky that we will be grocery shopping so I don't need to pack as much as I normally would besides clothing. I am going to try Space Bags. I bought the set that you can either vacuum out the air or roll out the air. I usually do this with plain zip-lock bags and may use them as well. All outfits get tagged and labeled and packaged by person and date/time of wear. An entire outfit including underwear and hair ties and socks or whatever, go in each bag. Makes it very simple and organized!

Lists...love em, need em...I have lots of these. I will keep you updated if you want on what exactly will be listed and checked off...lol! I am not sure how much detail the readers want me to go into....no yawns allowed!

So how was that for a pre-trip report???? I could go on and on but I will stop her for now! Have a great weekend. I am cleaning and organizing!!! Fun Fun!!!! And sewing a little bit!

I Love...

I love the way the roses smell on an April day;

I love the way the snowflakes fall with June so far away.

I love the way I snooze under my special tree;

I love the music I listen to in such great harmony.

I love the way the leaves change form green to red to orange;

I love the way a horse gallops with pride and courage.

I love how the slipper fits and she becomes a bride;

I love the way the sand washes up with the tide.

But the place I love most is right here in my home;

In my bed and in my dreams where next shall I roam.

by Sarah Stefanick

Remembering 9/11 and those that continue to fight for our freedom. They allow my family and especially my children to be able grow up safe and sound and express themselves freely. They are truly heros!

God Bless America!!!

For the first time since before my preschool years, I am not in school on the first day. I prepped and packed everyone else and got them in their respective car/bus and reentered an empty house. ACK!! I had no idea what to do so I decided I had better blog about it. I have mixed feelings about my girls being in school. I miss them so much already but I am happy for them experiencing all that school brings with it. I am actually pretty happy about their lives and growing up....they make it fun and exciting! I love seeing things through their eyes and I pray that they will never lose their wonderful and sweet personalities. I have high expectations for their lives and pray that they will be successful in whatever they chose to be and do!

We reached the first day of school after a long Labor Day Weekend. We cleaned very little. We talked lots. The girls went with daddy to all sorts of events! They went to the airport for a show and got to try out all of the cool planes and gagets. They participated in a clam shell throwing contest on the beach. They went to the beach. And sadly, their waterpark day got rained out. I heard "I'm bored" a bunch of times and we had some yummy meals including homemade mac and cheese from dad. We packed up their backpacks and filled out lots of school paperwork. And we organized closets and ironed outfits for the week! I took several naps and am generally doing better than before. One slight cold set me back for a few days. But I am hoping to return to work next week!!! Wish me luck!!!

So here are pics of the weekend and the first day of school!!! Hope everyone has a great start and I can't wait to hear all about your day!!!!

Waiting to participate in the clam shell throwing contest....

Clam shell contest

At the airport airshow

I loved this train set up with doll houses...lol...we do stuff like this at home with brio train tracks and polly pockets...lol!

"Lets see what will this button do?"

Does she look like a pilot?

In the hanger, they had all sorts of planes, helicopters and equipment which you could touch and look at.....great for kids of all ages!!!

They flew in all sorts of planes and jets...vintage

This just made me laugh...I love how it captured their personalities!!!

We had a great sunny afternoon and dad took the girls to the Bay beach....he even met up with some friends and chatted while all the kids enjoyed the practically glass-like water....hardly a wave in sight! Dad even brought a picnic lunch and they loved it!

Finally Monday night was upon us. We definately needed manicures so the girls set up a little nail salon in their rooms. I love how they lined up all of the polish and paper towels....lol! It was so much fun and I didnt have to do a thing except snap pics!

Before....

During...

After...

We showered and got into jammies and read books and had night night milk.....yes, the little girls still like warm milk before bed. We talked and prayed and tucked everyone in. Of course they had trouble falling asleep with what was in store the next day. Somehow by 9:30 pm they were all asleep.

The next day I got everyone up and they all got ready. Then we took pics outside....Daddy left with the little girls to take them to school. I went with Sarah to her bus stop and off she went! And here I sit. Sigh. Good thing this is temporary.

The little girls must be properly tagged and labeled to avoid getting lost!

Sarah at the bus stop....this is when we realized she left her glasses on her dresser...she had plenty of time to go get them though...and munch on some toast too!

The bus driver (Mrs. McM) is the same one we have had for the last 6 years....I find that so comforting...she is such a sweet heart!!! It's funny cause she saw me pregnant with both girls and now she is bringing them home from school later today...wow time goes so fast!!!

And off she goes!!! Have a great day hunny!!!

So....I think I may go sew and rest for a bit. And catch up on some blog reading. I will be back later in the week with some pre-trip report info. Our trip is coming ever closer!!! OK have a great week everyone!!!