09.27.07

Bailey Bags

Posted in ElisaLou at 7:10 pm by Elisa

Some new ready-mades are up!

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Love this fun Maxfield fabric. This bag is lined with black cord, one interior pocket.

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There are a handful of these available

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You can find them here

We also have one of these

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You can find it here

There are also a few pouches

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a do-dad

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that you can find here

wristlets

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Large pouches

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Oh and for all you moms out there, one of my friends sent me this today. I love the part about having kids just like you someday- my mom always used that line on me that but I had boys- he he. Also the part about your father’s dna, I use that one a lot, “he must get that from you” is my standard quote to Andy when my boys do something really weird, knowing full well they are just weird, period.

09.23.07

Weekends wear me out

Posted in ElisaLou at 10:14 am by Elisa

I always have such good intentions and a list a mile long of what needs to get done over the weekend.

But it never happens.

Friday started out with an impromptu gathering for a friend’s birthday which meant a late night for all, including kiddos.  Late Fridays mean grumpy Saturdays when we have to haul them all out for soccer.  We were lucky as the first game was until 10:30 or so which allowed time for a Starbucks run and a chat with the framers who showed up and said they were going to work all day and maybe stayed an hour.

Blake’s game was hot and Cole was whining and cranky.  His buddy Nate was there who was also cranky so they were cranky together.  Lot’s of rolling around on the ground.
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MB had a game on the field right next to us so I caught her being goalie

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Andy decides that he really needs a haircut so I take all the boys to Cole’s game.  And since Cole was still whining and cranky he didn’t do a whole lot during his game, except try to snag a couple naps on the sidelines.

We head home and load up the car with a bunch more stuff to go to the storage place.  I realized that I was getting cranky just looking at all the boxes in the house and I felt much better once I cleared a lot of it out.

In the meantime I did 4 loads of laundry and changed the sheets.

Austin gets a call to go to a friends house and I decide to mow the lawn.   You wouldn’t think this would take very long since I no longer have a backyard with grass but it took forever.  2 friends stopped by to chat and then one of Cole’s friends down the street wanted him to play.  So I let him go with lots of promises from him that when it is time to go home WILL NOT FREAK OUT, which he always does.  I finish the lawn and I am down to one kid and a quiet house.  Perfect time to take a shower- but as I am heading up my architect calls and says he left his camera here and really needs to come get it.

Andy calls and says that we should get a babysitter and go out.  Like maybe to the Great Indoors.  Feeling like my parents that head to Lowes for a night out I tell him maybe not.  So he comes back with dinner from Chili Verde (YUM) and a wounded Austin who crashed on a scooter while at his friends house and had a nice bleeding wound on his leg.  I get him cleaned up just in time to for the Monkey Bus to arrive.

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Some friends of ours bought this bus off Ebay and gutted the inside.  They put couches, 6 drop down tv’s and it is their tailgating machine.  They also take it on road trips to places like the Grand Canyon.  Tonight is was out and about picking up 16 boys for a sleepover birthday party.

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So off Austin went on the Monkey Bus for a night of zero sleep

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After I get Austin out the door I head down to pick up Cole, and of course he throws a fit when he sees me and tries to run and hide.  His girlfriend Scarlett (who is 4 1/2 and waaaay more mature) says to me,”Cole is my boyfriend.  My crazy 4 year old boyfriend.  My soccer player boyfriend.”

I think about telling her that she should never fall for a guy just because of the uniform because he might just be napping on the sidelines but I am too busy throwing her soccer player boyfriend over my shoulder to take him home.

Against our better judgment we haul the two boys up to the Great Indoors and amazingly they managed to hold it together (for the most part).  By 9:30 I was exhausted.  I kept yawning and Andy asked,”why are you so tired?”

Hmmm, no idea.

And guess what?  We have round two today.  Blake has a make-up soccer game and Austin has a football game which will be a joke since a lot of the team was at the party last night.

We also have a pool party to attend, the final swim of the year before our friends close up their pool for the year.

Looking forward to winter, when my family goes into hibernation. Hopefully my house will be done by then.

09.18.07

Doors

Posted in ElisaLou at 5:12 pm by Elisa

So those that are near and dear to me know I am not the most patient person and while I thought I had been doing ok with all the things that are testing my patience lately, apparently not so much.  I pitched a little hissy fit yesterday about my doors.  Mainly that I wanted them installed, right now.  There is just something about having no doors that set me over the edge.  Mainly after a weekend of freezing my butt off, in my own house.

But I have them now.  And all is well.

So here are a few pics of how the house is going

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New family room, yes that is a watermelon in the fireplace.  One of the workers likes to share.

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doors

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future banquet and back door

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more doors

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a shot of the back

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future screened porch

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And my song of the day, or week, or next four months.   (Complete with a funny 80’s slideshow).  Dedicated to myself and the two Andy’s that have to deal with me on a daily basis.

Cole’s first soccer game

Posted in ElisaLou at 7:07 am by Elisa

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We expected it to be entertaining and the little guys didn’t disappoint.

The best part is that Cole gets to hang out with his buddy Andrew

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These two, both the youngest of three boys- can be so crazy.  Austin is good friends with Andrew’s oldest brother Jamie.

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They have been waiting for years, watching their older brothers play soccer, it was finally their turn.

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But of course some times it looks like more fun than it actually is.

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And the other team was full of big 5 year olds that wouldn’t play by the rules.

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So the boys got a little frustrated and there were many times they just decided to leave the game to give kisses to their mamas, or complain about the older boys pushing them down, or because they were thirsty, hungry, you name it.

But it was all worth it because they got to hang together

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and that was the best part.

09.17.07

A reminder

Posted in ElisaLou at 8:29 am by elisa

We are only offering “ready-made” bags at this time.  The design your own will be back up in a few months.

Thanks!

09.16.07

As Promised

Posted in ElisaLou at 6:17 pm by Elisa

More Ready Mades

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Perfect for fall this small bucket has a brown, blue, green, and a very soft cream yellow dot pattern on the exterior and a canvas paisley interior in the same colors. A magnetic snap closure.

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Here they are, only 4. You can find them here
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The next one is one of a kind pink multi canvas on the exterior and pink melrose on the interior. It has 4 interior pockets and a magnetic snap.

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You can find it here

This MaryBeth is also a one and only. Pink Orange Disco Dot on the exterior and Pink Cord on the interior with a ribbon tie for closure.

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One interior pocket

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You can find this bag here

09.15.07

Springfield

Posted in ElisaLou at 12:34 pm by Elisa

I don’t do things like this often because I don’t have the patience to look for hidden treasures.  But every now and then….

My first cool find of the day, that I didn’t buy and wish I had

a vintage mail slot.  Mine is in bad shape because Astro hates the mailman

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Cole had a clear eye for what he liked and didn’t like

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He liked the ice cream

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Then this cool Pyrex bowl- I love these old bowls from the 60’s

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and some stars for the new screened porch

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09.12.07

Unhurried Child

Posted in ElisaLou at 5:49 pm by Elisa

Last week while I was waiting for a doctors appointment I picked up a magazine called Wonder Time.  I can’t remember the last time I read a parenting magazine.  I stumbled across an article called The Unhurried Child.  For many years I lived by the philosophy that was presented in the article.  But as my kids grew and were involved in more and more activities, and then there was one more kid….well things became a little hurried.  Bedtimes are always the worst.  Hurry up and brush your teeth, hurry up and take a shower, hurry up and get your pj’s on.  Then in the morning, hurry up and eat your breakfast, find your shoes, find your backpack, etc.

So I’m reading this article and it’s like a wake up call.  Especially when I came to this part

I picture a recent bedtime. Ben scoots along the floor, tummy down, toward his pajamas, announcing, “I’m a prowling crocodile!” I have no imagination left on this particular evening, so I don’t say, “Let’s pretend those pajamas are your prey!” or even “Scary!” What I say is: “I’m setting the alarm for 15 minutes. When it goes off, that’s when I turn the lights out, whether or not we’ve read our chapter yet.” It’s a miserable idea. Yes, he gets ready lickety-split, but the cost is too high: I see his hands shaking while he pulls his pajama top on, the worried knit of his eyebrows when he scuttles into bed. It’s one thing, of course, when you’re late for work or school or your flu shot, and you really do need to prod the little slowpokes into action. The world can’t always wait just because your children would prefer to lie on Coat Mountain rather than put on their jackets. But this? This is another thing; it’s just bedtime. 

Wow.  That could be our house on any given night.  But it wasn’t always this way.  We used to live a slower paced life.  There was a time when there was no rush.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.  A couple days ago the workers cut our power so Cole and I sat out front and looked for bugs.  We found a snail that was so small, tiny really.  He named him Gary after the snail on Spongebob.  Then when the snail went back in his shell we decided that he was taking a nap.  Cole thought it would be a good idea to sing some songs to try to wake him up.  We tried his favorite, “hey hey you you I don’t like your girlfriend” but it didn’t work.  We then tried some Green Day and out popped the little snail.  We then decided to rename him Billie Joe (after the lead singer of Green Day).  But in the end Cole decided that his name should be Anakin.  We built him a little house out of sticks, found him some rolly polly friends and a few ants as well.  We had a great time.  I had a great time.

Today we had lunch together prior to his first full day of preschool.  We were pressed for time and just as I was about to tell him to eat faster when the mom behind me started rattling off a bunch of commands to her son, “eat faster or we will leave right now, wipe your mouth, don’t talk so loud (although everyone in the place could easily hear HER), sit still, are you listening to me??  And it just kept going.  Cole and I sat in silence, listening to them and then he looked at me and said, “do I need to eat faster??”  I smiled at him and said, “take all the time you need buddy.”

Because being late for preschool really isn’t the end of the world.

09.11.07

Mud

Posted in ElisaLou at 6:43 pm by Elisa

And the fun with the mud continued, what little boy can resist a great big pile of dirt, especially when it is wet.

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When you don’t hear Cole, you know he is up to something.

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But really, it could have been a lot worse (see the boys on the previous post)

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I tried to use the hose

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But then decided the bathtub was a much better idea.

I am amazed how all consuming this remodel has become.  My neighbors that are doing a similar remodel packed up their 4 kids and went on a 5 week vacation.  I can’t imagine leaving right now.  Plus I wouldn’t miss watching my house get destroyed and then put back together.  It’s messy but there is progress every day.  The good thing is that the workers are all nice and actually kinda funny to listen to, they take time to talk to my kids and even pet the dogs.

Above all else I am so more than ready to have a house that is done and that needs no work.  Seriously it has been years.  It’s time.

And the good news is that the roofers came today so we are now safe from rain

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the windows were delivered

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and they started framing the screened porch.

Yay.

09.09.07

Saturday Night Fun

Posted in ElisaLou at 1:54 pm by Elisa

Let me just say we know how to have fun on a Saturday night.  I was standing in Baja Fresh picking up dinner when the rain started. And then it started to pour.  And it didn’t stop.
When I pulled into the driveway our contractor was also pulling up, not a good sign.  I walk in to find Niagara in my kitchen.  There was so much water.  Everywhere.  Lots of towels and a big tarp later, we are somewhat dry.
So what happens to a yard that no longer has any grass?  Mud.

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Here is Andy and Andy.  Andy the home owner on the right cracking up after watching Andy the contractor come out from the basement by clawing his way up a muddy hill.  See the look on Andy the contractor’s face?  Cursing the day he ever met us.   Look at their feet.  At least we hosed him off before sending him home.

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And it is still raining.  But we are staying dry.  Feeling like we are camping.

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