My Summer With Emily...

This summer was definitely one of my favorites...regardless of the poopy scoopy weather. I cannot tell you how much fun I have had with Emily. This was my third summer with her. Her first summer was amazing because she was brand new to us and we were both just in awe of the gift that she had become. Her second summer was amazing because she was learning so many new things...still very dependent on me, yet, at the same time, she was trying to figure things out on her own.

This summer was nothing short of amazing as well. I have been crying for the last couple of days because I will just miss her like crazy...but I know that she will have SO much fun with my friend who has offered to watch her for me while I start another school year.

Craig has been so GREAT this weekend!!! He has gone above and beyond in making sure that I am relaxed and able to enjoy the last few days of summer before going back to work...fancy BBQ's with family, Sunday morning breakfast, dinner out tonight...the works. Tonight, Craig asked me this question: "What were some of your favorite things about this summer?" It didn't take long before I rambled off this long list....

~THE THINGS THAT I LOVED MOST ABOUT THIS SUMMER~ 

• The many walks to the park with Emily

• Our Starbuck treats together...they have enjoyed Emily so much that every now and again, they will give her a free cake-pop

• When Emily reaches out to hold my hand
• When Emily rests her head on my shoulder

• The times when Emily pats my back and ends with a small back rub...just like I do to Emily
• When Emily runs to me saying, "holdu holdu holdu" (Hold You...she says it as though it is one word)
• Her belly laughter
• Playing "Ring Around the Rosie" in the front yard
• Coloring on the front walkway with sidewalk chalk

• Playing "chase" everywhere we go
• Watching her face light up as we go to each animal exhibit at the zoo

• Listening to her read a book to her baby dolls
• Hearing Emily sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. (She just says, "tinkle tinkle" over and over)
• Watching her run out and greet her dad when he comes home from work
• Watching her take care of her baby dolls just as she has been taken care of

• Seeing Emily chase after random kids at the park
• Our morning cuddles on days she used the "I'm Not A Morning Person" card
• Taking Emily on her first camping trip...which she did so well at!!!

• Feeding the ducks together
• Listening to Emily as she pretended to have a phone conversation with each family member and friends
• Giving Emily her first pedicure

Emily,  you continue to bring me joy with each smile...with each hug and kiss...and with the sound of your laughter. I will miss you like crazy when I go back to work!!!

It's Official...I am officially a PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHER!!!

Do you know how long it has taken me to write those words...It's Official??? WOW, so much has been going on this summer it is ridiculous!!! I don't even know where to begin.

 Our Mascot: The Eagle

So, towards the end of the school year I wanted to test the waters in finding a job closer to home. Considering the current economy, it didn't take too long to realize that this really isn't the time to look for a new job...so I put it to rest. I want to say, the week following the end of the school year, my friend informed me that our church's private school is looking for a middle school math and science teacher. I was super excited when she told me because this is the school that I want Emily to attend and, even though Emily has a number of years before starting school, it is SO VERY important to me to be close with her. I just love the idea of teaching at the same school that she would be attending. I love the idea of being able to see and accompany her on each of her "first day's of school". I love the idea of having her come to my classroom at the end of the school day to work on her homework as I finish up grading papers. Everything about this opportunity screams DREAM COME TRUE!!!

I called up the school to let them know that I was interested...and as though they were waiting for my call, they immediately set up an interview with me. Following the first interview with the principal, the process practically took up my entire summer, unfortunately, but I will take this VERY long story and shorten it up.

At my first interview, the principal told me that I was one of his top picks and that he had already chosen me, and two others (out of 11 interviewers), to have a second interview with the headmaster of the school. So, the next week I had my interview with the headmaster...and it was one of those interviews where you were positive it had to of gone better than I thought it did, because I really didn't feel confident about the interview once it was over. Sure enough, however, I received a call from the headmaster, by the end of that week, asking if I was interested in a different position: the 7th/8th grade science teacher. I was THRILLED!!! I LOVE teaching science! Now, it wasn't an official job offer, just an idea that the headmaster had and needed to run by the principal.

Still trying to cut this long story down...August rolls around, and I haven't heard anything. Wondering whether I have a job with them or if I'm staying at my current school, I decided to call them up. They called me back the next day...still with no "official" answers. They told me that their enrollment was down, and they want to, and WILL be offering me a job, they just weren't sure what my schedule would be.

Fast forward another week...and FINALLY I was made an offer!!! They wanted to offer me the 7th/8th grade science position AS WELL as wanting me to play a lead role in their new Math and Science Institute (MSI). I was honored...and a bit nervous as to what that job description entailed. Craig and I were both hugely a bit concerned with the pay cut, knowing that private school teacher's pay drops down significantly from a public school teacher's pay. Fortunately, the school made it a point not to drop my pay too much in hopes that I would accept their offer. YES!!! YES!!! I'LL TAKE IT!!!!

Now, all of that to say...that this job TERRIFIES me!!! I no longer have the job security that I had at the public school. I am terrified that my science knowledge is not at the level that they are expecting! I'm terrified that this lead role in their MSI is too much for me to tackle. I'm terrified that the economy is going down...which could play a huge role on the enrollment, and ultimately my job.

I just need to cast my worries on THE ONE that is in control of all things. I truly feel that this is a new calling on my life...to teach in the private school. And, ultimately, if it is only for a season...I know that God will continue to guide me in the right direction. Craig and I have already been talking about possibly taking a year and teach abroad. How fun would that be???

Well, there you have it...like I said, IT'S OFFICIAL!!! I am excited and terrified, but I am up for the challenge!!!

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Adoption Update

Well...we finally received an email from the agency that we chose to work with. They let us know that they have fully processed our application and that they are ready to move forward with the next step...the prescreening interview. I was really surprised to get this email because Craig has yet to find time to get his fingerprints done for our background check...though, I'm sure that the agency understands that that can be a lengthy ordeal.

The scheduling of the interview was a little difficult, but the agency was able to be extremely accommodating and they allowed us to schedule a weekend interview with them. However, they were not able to schedule a Pastor to meet on the weekend, so we will have to find a Pastor at our own church to perform that part of the interview for them...PERFECT.

I am so excited to be able to move forward to the next step of this process!!! Our interview is scheduled for September 10th. Keep us in your prayers. 

More DIY Headbands

WOW...these last few weeks have been crazy busy, and CRAZY overwhelming. I'll fill you in about all of that later. In the meantime, there were a couple of days that I was able to accomplish more DIY headbands during Emily's beloved nap-time!!

One of my favorite blogs that I follow: LITTLE MISS MAMA, is having a headband challenge HERE. So I thought I had better get my butt in gear and show you the rest of the headbands that I have created from other tutorials that I have found.

The first one I was so excited to make because I loved the picture from the tutorial that I found. You can find the tutorial HERE from Lee La La.

In playing with my hair...I think that, for me and my hairstyle, it is a lot cuter when my hair is pulled back. I like that this can be dressed up or down and look SUPER cute!! This was SO easy to make. I followed the tutorial exactly and had no problems or struggles.



The next headband I made...I think that I need to change it up a bit. It definitely has the potential to be SUPER cute, but since I am "new" at the whole headband wearing look, it is too big of a statement for me to make. So, the only change that I would make is to use a smaller width of lace and maybe even a smaller diameter for the accessory as a whole.
You can find the tutorial HERE from Little Miss Mama

The next headband was actually fun to make. It uses satin fabric, and the only satin I had was 1 1/2in wide ribbon. So, if I were to make this again, I would actually go and buy some satin so that I could have more liberty at choosing the size of the circles that I could cut. I like this a lot, but I would also like to see how slightly larger circles would turn out.
You can find the tutorial HERE from (again) Joy Is At Home

Because my satin circles were smaller than desired, I ended up making three flowers and then hot gluing them together to create a little more presence. I didn't actually glue them to the headband, I just slipped in a hair clip so that I could have the option of attaching it to a decorative headband that I recently purchased from JoAnns or I could clip it to a more subtle hairband, or I could just clip it right on to my hair.

My Birthday Surprise

Craig totally out did himself this year!!! As I type this for you, I am still amazed at what he has done. For my birthday, Craig told me that he wanted to cook a nice dinner for me, but he was going to surprise me with what he was going to make. To accomplish this, he needed me out of the house for a few hours before dinner.

I was more than happy to comply and I was so excited to see what he was going to make. When I was finally allowed back home, Craig greeted me at the door and I was surprised to see him still in his nice work clothes (slacks and a button down shirt). As he was walking me through the living room, I could see a beautiful table set up on our back deck. It was adorned with white linen, our china from our wedding (used maybe a total of five times...now six), and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

Coming through the kitchen, I was introduced to our personal chef: Chris. He was one of Craig's childhood friends, but the man knew his way around the kitchen. Craig, later, told me that he was a chef at The Gateway to India, Anthony's, and The Spar. Chris had arranged to create for us a 5-course meal. I was in heaven!!!

As we walked to the back and sat at the table, it was clear to see that Craig really thought out every little detail...from the music playing in the background, to the vase holding my bouquet of flowers (it was practically a matching set to the one that he had used at my proposal).

 

~My 5 Course Meal~

  

Asparagus with balsamic vinegar and Parmesan Cheese

 

Berry Salad (Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry) with a strawberry puree dressing

Chicken with an orange glaze and garlic mashed potatos

Peach and Strawberry Sorbet

My Cupcake for dessert...I devoured it before remembering to take a picture...OOPS!!

DELICIOUS!!!!!

My final surprise from Craig was...

a sweet "Bachelorette" type date. He is whisking me away on a boat plane from Seattle to Orcas Island...where we will be staying at the Rosario Resort!!! How cool is that!! I cannot wait! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Emily's TUTU TWO PARTY

OH MY GOODNESS!! Emily's party is just a blur to me! Note to self...do not have a party during the week because you are all by yourself to set up, cook, frost, and at the same time...make sure that the birthday girl has a great day!!! I have already posted the tutorials on the crafts that I made for the party, so I will just post pictures from the party. If you have any questions about how I did something, or where I purchased things from, leave me a post.

DECORATIONS 

 

Click on this photo to get a closer picture of what it says. I basically took her invitation and changed some of the wording to give guests directions to take a tie, or bow, and head on to the back for the party. 

 I used the Cricut to make a HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign that matched her invitations. Sorry, you can't see it really well.

FOOD

I used about ten yards of tulle to make the table skirt, then I pinned a sequined ribbon to hide all of the pins from the tulling. I purchased the tulle tent from Target. I figured I would reuse it for Emily's big girl room. 

The cook always has to taste what they cook before the guests arrive...and I have to say...they were DELICIOUS!!!

After everyone enjoyed their burgers, I cleared off the table to make room for the birthday cupcakes. The special cupcake stand is actually a candelabra that I have had for years. I don't remember exactly where I got it from. I want to say it was at a Christmas exhibit one year. 

Emily's Friends

CUPCAKES

 She wanted to see the pictures that I was taking of her. When she saw this photo she said, "Mess!!" LOL

Gift From Mom and Dad

 I am so happy with how much she loves her gift!! Unfortunately it has become a huge struggle to get her to clean up and get ready for nap time or bedtime. We placed this in the dining room so she can see us while we cook in the kitchen and she can cook in her kitchen at the same time. 

I can't believe that I have a two year old now!! I remember, as if it were just yesterday, bringing her home from the hospital! I look at pictures of her now and I just can't believe where the time has gone.

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DIY Headbands

I have come to cherish Emily's nap times!!! My daily routine has consisted of making sure to do my chores in the morning, then spending "play" time with Emily, and finally, when she goes down for a nap....it's MY time!!! For some reason I have had this craving to make hair accessories lately, either for me or for Emily...or even for friends as gifts.  I have been looking at a bunch of different blog tutorials and I found a handful that I wanted to make. To get started, I had all of the tutorials open in different tabs on my laptop and I made a list of all of the materials that I needed to get...and then it was off to the store.

Saturday, during Emily's nap time, I was able to bust out a couple different accessories. I already can't wait to make more, but this week is going to be super busy for me, so hopefully I can find a day or two this week to make more.

This was my first headband. You can find the tutorial HERE from Little Miss Mama. It is SUPER easy, and CRAZY cute. It's one of those things where you say, "Why didn't I think about that??"

 

Here is the one I made. It actually rook two tries to make this. As easy as this should have been, I didn't take into consideration that the headband needs to stretch when you place it on your head...so when I finished my "first" headband, I went to the mirror and attempted to place the headband on my head...and then...BING!!! POW!!! Just like that hilarious commercial where the buttons fly off of the pants of people eating fast food, a couple of my buttons that were on the very top of the headband flew off with such power. It was pretty funny!! For the fix, I just popped the rest of the buttons off and started all over. For my second attempt I ended up finding a box that I could stretch the headband across so that when I glued the buttons on they would be in the perfect position...and IT WORKED!!! I love this headband!

The second hair accessory I made turned out a lot better than I thought it would...only because I didn't trust that I had the patience or enough talent. The tutorial that I used can be found HERE from Snips & Spice

This one took a little bit of patience, on my part, only because I am such a perfectionist and a cheap wad...I was so afraid of messing up and not being able to reuse the zipper. The tutorial I used was really good because it had a ton of pictures for each step of the process. It took a little while getting used to making the corners of the triangle, but I got the hang of it. The length of the zipper I used for this was only 17 inches long. I ended up hot gluing a small piece of the leftover zipper fabric on the back to make a little tunnel-like thing that I could attach my bobby pin, or a clip, to to put it in my hair.

I have A LOT more tutorials that I will be working on the next few weeks, and I will continue to share with you how they turn out. The headband that I'm in the middle of working on now can be found HERE at Joy Is At Home. The only reason I'm not finished with it is because Emily woke up from her nap :)

I should find some time by the end of the week! Can't wait to show you!