It was a success!

Look what I sold at our garage sale!

Yes it went off pretty well

considering all the prep work that went into the "lemonade stand".

it all starts with a simple banner..

of course it must be hand painted,

and then what is an Eco-conscious mom to do with the empty lemon shell?

Why make soy candles of course (at 11pm)

So Fun!

Then we thought what the hey, let's just pull an all niter, so we did.

Yes, literally all night, and the result...

fresh homemade lemonade,soy candles, chocolate chip cookies,

and the crowd favorite lemon poppy seed bread.

Above is the photo before they made any sales,

and this is the after ;)

That's pretty much how we all felt, it was a LONG, but great day!

SO, the house hunt has begun, we travel this week to scout out our future domicile.
We are hopeful with a few promising leads, and our 30 days now down to day 23.

my faithful running partner, today after our run :)

projects update

Ah, the joy of finishing long overdue projects. This fantastic find came to yours truly via roadside giveaway, my favorite! It looked much different then with all the charming cracked black paint in all. I had a vision of restoration for this beauty though and it only took 3 years to attain! I know, I know... I'm totally bragging, but hey, in my book that is pretty quick.
So still riding that wave of creative courage I decided to put the finishing touches on..

..this cute little hemp sleeper I've had cut out, and lounging about the craft room for, oh 6 months or so.

Did I mention this is all thanks to a wonderful little family that are content with mama popping in and out of the craft room for various intervals throughout the day. A little lunch here, story there, some math, a bit of spelling, don't call your sister names, be nice to the kittys' tail, yes, I can spin you around like a princess, okay, one more glass of water, and everyone goes to sleep happy.

stillness

a quiet morning...

an amazing flight,

This entire flight from lift-off to landing couldn't have lasted even a minute, and oh the marvelous sound effects that accompanied this fantastic aeronautical display. I found myself transfixed, wondering right along with her just what the next step would be. Yes, by Joe this small plastic man fits into this part here, and , oh okay, his legs bend... and, oh what is this , hooray he sits, now up into the air with him, let's fly to the moon.

How is it that these brilliant discoveries have been occurring all around me and I with my "busy" agenda have been so completely oblivious to them. Now don't get me wrong I love a neat, clean home, something warm and delicious smelling coming from the kitchen, freshly bathed and well mannered kids. Somewhere amidst all of that orchestration, a part of me got lost.
Yet right here amongst the newly constructed towers of boxes, and the ever expanding mass of items by the front door fated to weekend garage sale (a.k.a. fundraiser), the persistent and mysteriously regenerative dishes in the sink, and my dear friend, the pile of clean clothes on the couch (that actually make a great pillow my ever "silver lining" husband tells me) and despite all of the chaos that is our lives right now, a space has opened for me. In it I have discovered the mama I want to be. No matter what the "mama... watch me" is for, or how many hundred times we read their favorite story, the time that it takes to Be there with them in those moments, will never equal the length of time they will carry those moments with them.

My first post, yay!
Here I will attept to chronicle my journey into the unknown (how's that for drama!)
About six weeks ago my husband got laid off, our home has been foreclosed on and we now have 30 days to:
1. make enough money for moving costs
2.find someone who will rent to a currently unemployed family of 6
(plus 2 cats, 1 papillon)
3.move out!
Don't worry we have a plan,.... well a sort of plan. Our little family has it in our hearts to live near the ocean, but not just any ocean community. We've scouted up and down the Great California coastline and have settled on the area of Santa Cruz Co. Yes it's a little backwards some may say, to choose the area first and the job secondary. Yet we have this silly idea, that if you have a dream, or a goal, and you go after it with everything you've got, magic will begin to happen and your dreams will become your reality.
So I invite you to come along with me and my family, as we hold hands and jump straight into the deep end together. This is our chance to experience the change of a lifetime, and live our lives to the fullest. I can't wait to see how it turns out!