crayon roll tutorial {from the archives}

i thought it would be fun to pull an old tutorial of mine from the archives!

i wrote this tutorial almost 3 years ago and it is still gets a ton of hits and pins, even after all this time!

one of the long time staples in my shop used to be  crayon rolls.
these are perfect for gifts!
each of my girls have one and silas  has been begging for one, so i made up this adorable one for him.  these are great for throwing in your purse, for keeping the littles busy in the car, waiting rooms, restaurants…  and when they’re done, they love that each crayon has its own little home
and they can roll it up themselves and secure it with the elastic.
so, are you ready for the tutorial?  here you go!
supplies:
2 pieces of same fabric for outside and inside – 5″ x 16 1/2″
1 piece of coordinating fabric for pocket – 6″ x 16 1/2″
1 piece of flannel for lining – 5″ x 16 1/2″
1 coordinating hair elastic
1 button
needle and thread
1 box of 16 crayons (i get mine at walmart)
disappearing ink fabric marker

1. cut out all 4 pieces of fabric

2.  fold pocket piece of fabric in half length-wise and iron flat.
i have found that it helps to actually PLUG IN the iron, and not the nearby vacuum cord.
crazy how that works!

3.  lay out flannel piece.
its just a lining to give the roll a little more stability.
then lay one of the 5″ wide pieces on top of the flannel (wrong side down),
then pocket piece on top of that, lining up all bottom edges.
pin at the ends.
4.  find the midpoint of the pocket at 8 1/4″.
with your fabric marker and a straight edge, mark the middle line.
5.  then make a line every inch, until all 15 lines have been drawn.
see how the space after the last lines on each side is a little wider than 1 inch?
that’s to allow for the seam allowance.
6.  now stitch down the pocket.
i start at the center line, 1/4″ below the top of the pocket, and back stitch (very important!),
then run your stitch all the way down.
work your way down the lines to the right, then to the left, until all lines are stitched down.
trim threads.

7.  if you have a tag to add, do it now.
also stitch down the elastic on the far right side.
i take the seam part of the elastic (where its melted together) and pinch it.
i stitch it down just inside the edge, about a 147 times.
ok, not really but i really want to make sure the elastic holds when little hands are tugging on it.

8.  now lay the outside piece on top of all that you have just attached together,
right sides together, and pin at each corner.

9.  next stitch all pieces together with a 1/4″ inseam.
start at the short end without the elastic, leaving about a 2″ opening to turn right side out.
i marked my opening so you could see my placement.
clip the corners.

10.  turn right side out and gently poke out corners.  i like to use a chopstick for this.

11.  spray your stitched down pocket lines with water before pressing crayon roll flat.
sometimes if you don’t spray the marker lines,
when you iron it it makes the ink permanent rather than disappearing.
12.  press all the edges flat and tuck in the edges of the opening.

13.  starting just below the elastic, stitch very close to the outer edge to hold all the pieces together.

14.  organize your crayons (my *favorite* part!) and tuck into pockets.

15.  roll up tight.
gently stretch the elastic to find where the button should be sewn down.
hand stitch the button on securely.
16.  you’re done!
find a cute little one to give this to and make their day!

i so hope you enjoy this little project!
thank you for reading through this very long tutorial!

what i wore wednesday

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 welcome to “what i wore wednesday”!  this is a place i started to motivated myself to get dressed each day.  as a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom, it is really easy to lounge around all day in my jammies or sweats.  but getting dressed really does help me be more productive and feel better about myself!  if you’d like to join me, link up below!

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 i did a fun little photo shoot last week and got my hair and makeup done – so fun!  this was at the end of the day, so i wasn’t at my best, but you get the idea.

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 dress – old navy

denim jacket – forever 21

boots – steve madden

belt – forever 21

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 petal pusher – the pleated poppy

ruffled mum pin – the pleated poppy

necklace – lisa leonard designs

what i wore wednesday at the pleated poppy

 pile of bracelets – mostly from lisa leonard

what i wore wednesday at the pleated poppy

 i spent a couple hours last week picking out outfits for our trip to france.  i tend to use pinterest kind of like google, and just search for what i’m looking for.  imagine my surprise when i searched for “wear in france” and a pin of me showed up!  apparently i already know what to wear ;)

all of the outfits below were ones i was debating on taking with.

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i really like this outfit (not sure on the shoes, though), but since the temps are going to be in the mid 60′s i think bare legs are out for me.  i tried it with my boots too, but there wasn’t enough of a break between the skirt hem and the boot top, so it looked a little funny.  i think strappy wedges would be cute in the late spring with this.

cardigan – target

chambray shirt – forever 21

skirt – nordstrom/brass plum

belt – forever 21

flats – target

what i wore wednesday at the pleated poppy

 can’t decide on brown boots or black?

denim jacket – forever 21

white oxford shirt – target (new)

striped skirt – forever 21

tights – target

boots (left) – steve madden

boots (right) – off broadway shoes

petal pusher and ruffled mum pin – the pleated poppy

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 i love the shorts/tights/boots combo!

option 1:

grey sweater – forever 21 (newish)

shorts – target

tights – target

boots – off broadway shoes

scarf – old pashmina knock off

option 2:

cardigan – target

striped top – forever 21

shorts – target

tights – target

boots – off broadway shoes

ruffled scarf – the pleated poppy

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i love this outfit, just can’t decide on the shoes!

sweater – forever 21

white shirt – target (new)

jeans – target

necklace – local shop

flats (left to right) – target, payless, target

what i wore wednesday at the pleated poppy

this is a good, easy outfit for me.  not dressy at all, but comfy.

sweater – forever 21

shirt – forever 21

jeans – target

boots – steve madden

do you wanna join me?  yay!  just follow the rules:

1. link to your specific blog post, not your blog’s main page. ex: http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2011/09/what-i-wore-wednesday-fall-inspiration/ not http://thepleatedpoppy.com/blog/.
2. please only link outfit related posts. your craft project may be adorable, or that may be a great giveaway, but this linky is for outfit related posts only – thank you!
3. please please please link back here to me so all this wiww stuff makes sense to your readers. and its just nice to do ;) grab a button from my sidebar (see the code box?).
4. check out as many links as possible! i am constantly inspired by so many outfits each week! and you will definitely find some new blogs that you’ve never stumbled upon before – so fun!

 


sprung

 
spring decor

time for a little spring decor around here!

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i kept it simple and just added a bit of bunting and yarn to my mantel, and added some of our new terrariums.

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the table top terrariums definitely add a springy touch to our coffee table.

spring decor

i also added some bunting and yarn over our daybed.

spring decor

super simple, but fun!

 

good things come in small packages

tiny pouch

i love my little tiny pouches!  they are so fun to design and pack a lot of punch in a tiny little package.

i have one that i keep in my purse at all times, and here are a few uses for them:

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i originally designed the tiny pouch to be like a bitty wallet.  i wanted to have the option to walk downtown with the kids to get ice cream, but not have to carry anything that i couldn’t fit in my pocket.  the tiny pouch is designed to fit credit cards and cash, and has a snap closure that holds change in its place as well.

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when i’m at a conference, i use my pouch as a business card holder, fitting my cards perfectly!

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the tiny pouch is also great for a night out – just toss in your i.d., some cash, and a credit card!

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tiny pouches are also a great size for a wallet for kiddos.  perfectly sized for them, but not so big that they can pack in too much stuff.

it also would be a great gift card holder.

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while i tend to use a zippered pouch for my coupons and receipts, the tiny pouch does the job nicely, in an organized fashion!

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and who says that just because i’m on vacation that i can’t have a sale?!

all tiny pouches are 20% off for today only!

use code TINYPOUCH20 at checkout for your discount.

 

shop update!

happy sunday!

i’m doing my shop update a day early because i have a little surprise planned for tomorrow…

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 i’ve been expanding my gold rush line and just added an e-reader case and…

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 a pencil pouch!

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 i also restocked the zippered pouches – yay!

bloom belts

i also just listed these babies!

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 this glasses print kills me!  i just grabbed one of these for my own purse (washable fabric – yay!).

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 i also have it in a pencil pouch.

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 and the turquoise damask zippered pouches have been restocked as well!

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 i just ran out of these tiny pouches, and now they are back in!

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 i have just one of these adorable tiny pouches.

diaper clutch

another fun design for diaper clutches – i love these colors!

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 i love them so much that i made some baby blankets to coordinate!

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i listed lots of new blankets, be sure to check them all out!

instafriday

instafriday at the pleated poppy

 i’m linking up my weekly phone pics with jeannett again this week!  i’m thepleatedpoppy on instagram if you want to follow along!

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 my sister (who lives in australia) is in california visiting for a couple months.  even though she’s staying a few hours away, we are going to spend as much of our free weekends with her!

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 we spent the weekend in santa cruz with my sister, and did a little exploring.  exploring often involves ice cream ;)

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 the loved the heated pool, i loved not being in it!  water needs to be hot tub temp before i enjoy being in it!

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 isn’t this the happiest stop light ever?!

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 oh my.  my nephew jack is just the sweetest, happiest little almost-2-year old ever!

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 silas’ hair is my favorite right now.  i love how it flips up in the back.

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 we got our stitch market fliers in!  now to pass out thousands of fliers….

instafriday at the pleated poppy

 some days i’m a wiww failure.  and i’m ok with that.

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 i got myself a little gifty!  i thought it was time for an upgrade.

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 the scrappy bunting has been selling like crazy, and i just love putting them all together!  thank you to you ladies who have shared how you’ve hung your bunting on instagram!  i love seeing them in their new homes!  i’m really hoping to have these done before i leave for france, but no promises.

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 my friend and neighbor, cameron, did a fun little photo shoot with me and my products at a coffee shop in town.

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 lunch is my least favorite meal to make.  usually nothing looks good.  but avocados?  avocados always look good, especially with balsamic dressing!

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i tried something new – an insta-sale!  i listed a bunch of items i needed to clear out of my shop at huge discounts on instagram.  you are so bummed if you missed it ;)  it was awesome!  i am definitely doing it again.

we have a full weekend of prepping for our trip and getting in extra snuggles with our kids.  i’m thinking list making, maybe a hike, grocery shopping, meal prepping, suitcase packing, bloggy blogging, and writing notes and wrapping little gifts for the kiddos.

 

Q & A – the blog and wiww

q&a

time for some more q & a’s!  to catch up, go here for home related q’s and here for more personal q’s.

first i’m going to answer a few questions about what i wore wednesdays!

boots

where did you get those boots (all of them!)??

clockwise from the top left:  boots from target.  these boots are super comfy, but i never liked how big they are on my calves.  good fitting boots are really hard for me to find – i have big feet and small calves.  i like the unusual color, kind of a taupe grey.

these black boots are my newest pair.  i got them from off broadway shoes and they are pretty comfy.  they are by franco sarto and called pluto, but i can’t find them online.  best things about them were the price and the fact that they  fit my calves.

my favorites are these caramel brown pair by steve madden.  the leather is super soft, they fit perfectly and they are really comfy all day long.

last are my rain boots.  i got them last year on clearance from old navy.  they are gigantic on the calves but they are rain boots, so my expectations weren’t high. i love the laces and the price (under $15).

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wiww banner

when does WIWW get posted and what time zone? i want to be one of the first to link up!

midnight tuesday night or wednesday morning, whatever you want to call it (pacific standard time)!  always.   every single time.

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and what style are your forever 21 jeans? i can’t seem to find them when i go!

i have a couple pairs that i just love, but i’m not sure of their style name.  one is a slim fit boyfriend jean and the other is an ankle length skinny jean.  both pairs i found on accident while shopping for other things.  i can’t remember the price of the boyfriend cut, but the skinnies were only $10.80!  forever 21 also has a huge denim section, but the jeans i’ve found were mixed in with the other clothes.

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forever 21… how do you navigate through that store? it overwhelms me!

yes, it is definitely overwhelming!  there is no “stopping in real quick” at that store!  the store is actually broken up somewhat into categories, but they aren’t necessarily easy to see.  they tend to clump styles together that are really similar.  if there is a grouping i’m not particularly fond of, like the tribal stuff, i don’t even bother searching through the racks.  also, i only go in if i have at least 2 hours (no kids).  not only does it take forever to get through, but then you have to try everything on!  i also try to go with a list of sorts, things i’m looking for.  i was looking for a polka dot sweater last time and i found about 25!

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and now for some blog-focused questions!

do you have a set post for each day (i.e, editorial calendar) that you follow? ever feel overwhelmed?

sometimes and always ;)

most all mondays are shop updates.  i try not to bombard my readers with products all the time, but i list products multiple times a week so i try to let you know about them all on mondays.  wednesdays are always what i wore wednesdays.  fridays are almost always instafridays.  its best for me to be prepped ahead of time, but it really does help.  i try to make tuesdays and thursdays creative – either a diy or a house decor post – something really fun!  and then i throw in the occasional sponsor post because i have really awesome sponsors.

as for feeling overwhelmed, its almost daily.  but having a schedule really helps that.  on good weeks i will set aside a day and get all my posts ready for the week, but most weeks i end up blogging daily.

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how old we’re your kids when you started your business? if they were little, when did you work?

i opened my shop online on gracie’s first day of kindergarten.  i had been working for a few months before that, but thats when i really kicked things off.  so gracie was 5, lily was under 3, and silas was barely 1.  they were just babies.

when did i work?  whenever i could!  they all napped or had quiet times back then so i worked during those times and then (as now) when they were in bed.  i could do some work while they were up, but it was very divided time.

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any advice for starting a blog? i don’t feel witty or funny or that i have enough to write about.

even though i’ve been blogging for 6 years (actually 6 years ago, last week), i am not a blogging expert.  i rarely follow the “rules” and just post what i want to.  thankfully, i have had wonderful readers who love me anyway!  there are tons of great blogs that have wonderful blogging advice, but me?  here’s my advice:  write about what you love.  you will find your voice eventually.  and then you will lose it.  and then you’ll find it again!  

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family rules canvas

Can you tell me the link for your Family Rules tutorial?

yep.  here it is.  actually, i’ve written a bunch of posts on it.  the first was from my friend nicole who made the first family rules canvas. and then there was my canvas i wrote about.  and then the tutorial.   and then the linky!

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Who designed your blog?

darcy designed my blog a few years ago.  she was wonderful to work with, but sadness… i don’t think she designs anymore since she’s got her photography business to focus on.

ok, more q & a’s coming next week!

what i wore wednesday

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 happy wednesday!  every wednesday i share pictures of my weekly outfits here and call it “what i wore wednesday”.  i started this to motivate myself to get dressed everyday and it has done the same for many other women who link up with me.  if you need a little motivation to get out of yoga pants, or just want to kick your style up a notch, join us next week!

what i wore wednesday at the pleated poppy

 top – target (old)

coral skinnies – target

leopard flats – target

chunky watch – one little momma

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 shirt – target

jeans – target (old, just altered them)

shoes – forever 21 clearance

necklace – lisa leonard designs

what i wore wednesday at the pleated poppy

and here’s to keeping it real!  while wiww reallio trulio has changed the way i dress, and the fact that i even get dressed most days, i still have the occasional day where i just can’t get out of my jammies!  today was one of those days.

slippers are a must for my cold self – from old navy

pants – target

sweatshirt – target

do you wanna join me?  yay!  just follow the rules:

1. link to your specific blog post, not your blog’s main page. ex: http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2011/09/what-i-wore-wednesday-fall-inspiration/ not http://thepleatedpoppy.com/blog/.
2. please only link outfit related posts. your craft project may be adorable, or that may be a great giveaway, but this linky is for outfit related posts only – thank you!
3. please please please link back here to me so all this wiww stuff makes sense to your readers. and its just nice to do ;) grab a button from my sidebar (see the code box?).
4. check out as many links as possible! i am constantly inspired by so many outfits each week! and you will definitely find some new blogs that you’ve never stumbled upon before – so fun!



DIY terrariums

DIY terrariums

a couple weeks ago, the girls and i spent a day making terrariums together.

DIY terrariums

 we shopped the house for glass containers, then got a couple large ones from target.  we used vases (short and tall), mason jars, and lidded containers.

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 then we hunted around the house for small objects to accessorize our terrariums:  shells, twigs, tiny bird cages, rocks, sea glass, tiny trinkets and memorabilia.

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 terrariums typically begin with a stone base, but we had a huge bag of sea glass that i thought would be a fun twist!  lots of our glass was collected, but you can also buy inexpensive bags of sea glass at walmart.

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because we were trying to do this on the cheap, we used supplies and made do with what we had lying around, or stored deep in forgotten cupboards.  these polished stones had been weighing down some vases, and were great for a variety of base material (other than the sea glass option).

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 we started out with our base material (stones or sea glass).we needed at least an inch at the base.

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 for terrariums with lids, we needed to add a good handful of activated carbon (also called activated charcoal).  the charcoal helps to fight off mildew issues with the covered terrariums.  another tip is to try to keep the leaves from touching the glass, which can also cause mildew.

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the charcoal can be found at pet supply stores in the fish tank section.  i think ours was around $5?

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 because i didn’t want to use all of our sea glass for the base, i just used common gravel stones for the center and surrounded the sides with the glass.

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 then we added the charcoal.

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 we also made 2 batches of soil.  we added the rest of the charcoal to the soil for the enclosed terrariums, and a regular batch for the other terrariums.

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 we used a mix of tiny succulents, grasses, and mosses for our containers.

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 i also got this really pretty fern for an old concrete urn in the house.  and i’ve already killed it.

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 we added the soil with charcoal to the rock/glass base.

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 then we played!  i used a chunk of petrified wood, a small glass bottle from a trip to paris,  all mixed with the plants.

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 i even planted a little succulent inside a footed cup that my sister sent me from london.

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 gracie used a tiny wire birdcage and tucked a succulent inside.

after we finished them all, we lightly watered them until the soil was saturated.

DIY terrariums

we made so many that we were able to make a little garden on our coffee table, some on our mantel, and another on our window sill!

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i love the silverware the girls tucked into their creations!

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these weeping grasses are a fun contrast to the curvy shells and soft moss.

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the kids are loving the succulents.  can you see the tiny pony that has found a home there? ;)

so far, all of these bad boys are still alive (yay!).  i’ve been told that i should water the succulents once i see that the water has dried up from the rocks and sea glass below.  if you have any great tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.  thanks friends!

 

monday ramblings

i feel like i have to hit the ground running today, but my feet are walking instead.  i have a list a mile long and no energy to do it!

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sometimes it just feels good to sit in a coffee shop, eat a yummy feta/spinach croissant, drink a hazelnut latte, and pour out my thoughts.

spring break, well any break, does that to me!  i so enjoy the time off of teaching that its really hard to get back into the swing of things and back to a routine.

how was your spring break?  mine started out great – even involved a couple days of deep cleaning!  but then it went a bit south.  i think the lack of any schedule sent my kids into a bit of a tailspin and every day was filled with more and more bickering, which is exhausting for me!

but we had some wonderful family come and visit us from wednesday to friday and that perked us all up quite a bit!  sometimes a good distraction is all we need!

then this weekend we packed in a little more fun and went to santa cruz, about 3 hours north of us.  my sister, if you don’t know already, lives in australia with her family.  she and my almost-2-year-old nephew are going to be up in santa cruz for at least a couple months!  i am so excited!  its been a year since we saw them last, so even though we only had a couple days to see them, we packed up the car and made a weekend out of it.

only problem with being spontaneous like that is the aftermath.  we’re exhausted today.  i drove the kids home late last night (thankfully they all slept the whole way), while sean headed north for work until tonight.  getting the kids out of bed today, silas especially, was really hard.  their normal bedtime is 7:30 and we are pretty consistent with that.  but for the whole week off, they never got to bed before 8:30, many nights much later than that and i think they are going to be exhausted this week getting re-aclimated.

so while the kids are at school today, i am going to do as much catch up as i can.  wanna see what’s on my list for this week?

- set up blog calendar for the week

- cut for new products

- pack for france.  wait, did i not tell you about that yet?….

- write blog posts for while we’re away.

- write kids schedule for while we’re gone

- do spring decor installment at the kids’ school (this is going to be a fun one!)

- prep products for a photo shoot this week (!!!!!)

so, france.  yeah i am pretty excited about this!  just sean and i in france for 9 days.  all expenses paid.  sean owns a company that sells hunter douglas window coverings and when you sell a certain amount of products you earn trips, and this year we get to go to france on a river cruise up the seine.  a few years ago we went on a mediterranean cruise with the same group.

i am so excited to be with just sean.  he is my favorite, after all ;)  but the prep for being gone is going to be insane.  so i should probably say good bye to you and start checking things off my list!