Life as Mrs. Emerson

   This week part of Evangeline's occupational therapy involved stamping with apples!  Eva has been working with apples in feeding therapy for the past month so this was the perfect sensory activity.  It was such a fun activity for both kids that I really enjoyed participating in.  Our occupational therapist Mrs. T showed me how to cut the apple so that it was easy to hold.  What a great idea!  It definitely made it a lot easier for both children to stamp with the apples.  You could also try stabbing the apple with a fork if you didn't want to cut the handle.  We simply used washable paint on a paper plate and then stamped on plain white paper.  You could also use acrylic paint but it is a little harder to remove from little hands.  I would also recommend an old sheet or tablecloth to protect your table.  We have an old fitted sheet that fits nicely on the table to protect it whenever we decide to enjoy a messy art project.  Eva was a little hesitant at

We were so blessed last week to attend the local aquarium.   Happy Monday friends!  It's time to set some goals for a fun, productive week.  This is sure to be a week filled with activity at our home.   Last Week's Goals Marriage, Mothering, & Family: 1)  Attend two therapy appointments with Evangeline.  They went well and we even did a fun, sensory craft that I hope to share later this week.   2)  Take the children to the museum this week.  (Our pass expires at the end of December so I really want to squeeze in a few more trips.)   One of the biggest adjustments we have had in the past few months was the utter lack of free time to go on outings and meet up with friends for playdates.  This week we definitely made up for our lack of playdates and we were able to hang out with three different friends on separate occasions. Hooray!  Let me also encourage you to make friendships a priority in your life even if you are a busy working mom.  I got together with thr

Last month my family and I traveled to Washington D.C.  One of the main reason that we decided to drive included the opportunity to visit Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Virginia.   The drive through Virginia was absolutely beautiful.  My favorite part was driving through the Shenandoah Valley.  The happy hubby indulged my whims to stop at many of the gorgeous overlooks pictured above.     Although the house is fascinating, the grounds at Monticello deserve just as much time as the house.  Eli was absolutely fascinated with the gardens and even spent time speaking with one of the gardeners.  When he found out that the gardener doesn't have trouble with rabbits eating their radishes he decided he wanted to move to Virginia!  Ha, ha!  (I never knew he was that concerned with rabbits eating our vegetables.) The gardens at Monticello are striking and include a wide variety of crops.  The varieties grown are the same varieties that were grown during the time

A picture I snapped while on a family walk last week of the creek near our home. Hope your week is off to a wonderful beginning.  We have been soaking up this autumn day with time spent outside reading this afternoon.  Here's how I did on my goals for last week.   Last Week's Goals Marriage, Mothering, and Family: 1)  Go on a date with my sweet hubby.  We were able to squeeze in two dates last week which was just plain awesome!  We actually worked out together at the gym for one of our dates and enjoyed time out with friends for the second.  Hooray!  So thankful that we were able to do that.   2)  Attend 3 appointments with Evangeline.   I actually forgot about one appointment so it was actually 4 appointments last week.  So thankful about the progress that she is making right now!  One day I really think I"ll be able to say no more therapy.   3)  Eli starts Cloverbuds this month.  Cloverbuds is a fun club for children before they are old enough to join 4H.  A

For Evangeline's second birthday I knew that I wanted to make something both sweet and feminine.   This nightgown was the perfect combination of both.  I picked up Butterick 4910 and sewed view D in a size 2.  I used a super soft cotton flannel with small roses that I had on hand.  I sewed view D but used the length cutting line for view C.  I love the peasant look to this nightgown and the flow of the sleeves.  I think it could also be used to make an angel costume. This pattern claims to be very easy and I would definitely agree.  I would add a caution while cutting out the pattern.  I made the mistake of cutting along the wrong line around the neckline.  Next time I plan on attempting to raise the neckline about 2" from where I accidentally cut it too short.  Oops!  I'm thankful it worked out okay in the end. My daughter measured smaller than the size 2 but I really wanted to make this pattern.  (My daughter is very petite and still wears size 18 months clothi

 This semester we have embarked on a fun new adventure.  It's called Before Five In A Row!  One of my desires has always been to pass onto my children a love of reading.  Before Five In A Row builds a foundation for children to love learning by reading classic children's literature and enjoying activities that go along with the book.  BFIAR is the first book in the Five in A Row Series and is aimed for children ages 2-4.  I am teaching through BFIAR at co-op each Wednesday and we also enjoy "rowing" a book every week at home.  I'm hoping to share some of the activities that we complete to go along with each book.  Eva is 24 months old and Eli is 5.5 years old.  I have also added some additional older activities for Eli since he is already reading. Blueberries for Sal is the first book that we have "rowed" and I must say it is one of my favorites.  I picked this book to read first in hopes that I could find fresh blueberries to enjoy in the activiti

Happy Monday friends!  I just returned from an early morning walk down our country road and I feel so invigorated to tackle this week.  Where we live the leaves are beginning to change colors in such a way that every walk becomes a nature walk even if it doesn't start out that way.  I even found a Lamb's Ear plant this morning.  Does anyone know what the correct term for that plant is?  Anyway here are my goals for this week and a recap from last week.   Last Week's Goals Mothering: 1)  Attend two therapy appointments with Eva.   The happy hubby took Eva to one of her appointments so that I could squeeze in a little time for myself last week.  What a sweetheart!   2)  Take the children to the local aquarium and spend as much time outside as possible.   We had an absolute blast at the aquarium last week with extended family!  I ended up canceling one of Eva's therapy appointments so that we could attend but I think it was well worth it.  I never do that.  (She stil

 Let me start by saying that I am not an artist.  In school it was probably my least favorite subject.  Nothing could send me into a panic faster than being told that I had to draw or paint something.  I was happy to oblige any teacher who wanted me to study for a test but ask me to do an art project and I would rather write a paper.  That being said I plan on never telling my children.  I hope that they will inherit their dad and grandmother's artistic abilities.  For now my plan is to continue purchasing real art supplies and making sure that we carve out time to use them at least once or twice a week.  This was my children's first experience with pastels and they were quite a hit!     I picked up a nice set of NON-TOXIC pastels at JoAnn Fabrics last week.  (It is my understanding that many pastels are toxic so please be careful when purchasing.)  The kids really enjoyed creating their own masterpieces.  My cousin Anna came over to play one afternoon so she even jo

Trim Healthy Mama Plan: The Easy-Does-It Approach to Vibrant Health and a Slim Waistline  by Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison:  I ordered the original, self-published Trim Healthy Mama book a couple of years ago before anyone else had really heard about it.  I've dabbled a little with THM and I do think that it is a great lifestyle eating plan.  I was thrilled for the opportunity to review Trim Healthy Mama Plan.   This updated version of the book is simplified and contains less than half the number of pages of the original book.  (I think the original book contains 600+ pages.)  I was a little disappointed in the fact that most of the information was the same as what was in the original book just simplified and edited.  For some reason I had thought that this book would contain more menu plans and tips to making the THM lifestyle actually work for your family.  My only complaint with THM is my happy hubby's sincere dislike for about half of the recipes.  I think most of

Happy Monday everyone!  It's time to set some goals for the week to make this week both a productive and fun week.   Mothering: 1)  Attend two therapy appointments with Eva. 2)  Take the children to the local aquarium and spend as much time outside as possible. 3)  Buy non-toxic pastels for the children and enjoy an art project together. 4)  Celebrate Eva's birthday! Marriage: 4)  Enjoy a date night with my husband out or at home. Homemaking: 5) Make a second gift for Eva's birthday. 6)  Purchase a new deep freeze.  I'm debating between a chest and an upright and would love to hear your thoughts. 7)  Sew a baby gift using supplies I have on hand. Personal: 8) Spend time writing in my journal twice this week. Ministry, Hospitality, & Friendships: 9)  Prepare and enjoy a visit from my friend Susie who serves as a missionary to Papua New Guinea.  She will be sharing with our church on Wednesday night. 10)  Select piano music for an upcoming wed

 There are many days in a person's life that are so important that the details seem etched in one's mind: graduating from college, a wedding day, having a baby, etc.  For me September 4, 2015 was also a much anticipated potentially life changing day.  It's already been a month but still it feels like yesterday.  It was the day when we would finally learn if our precious Evangeline would undergo decompression surgery on her brain.  Six weeks earlier we had learned that Eva had a chiari one malformation in the back of her brain. When we learned of Eva's diagnosis I was completely blown away.  Of course I knew when she had her first MRI that her Gastroenterologist was looking to rule out chiari.  I thought that it was more of a routine test and honestly it didn't occur to me that they might actually find what they were looking for.  I thought that perhaps Eva had some serious food allergies or possibly celiac disease which might account for the reason she appeared

As the weather turns colder and the leaves begin to change their colors I enjoy spending more time each month sewing.  I love sewing but there is something about the cold weather that drives me to my machine.  It's so relaxing and such a fun outlet for creativity.  I also realize the important role it can play in helping me to find an outlet for the stress and busyness that stems from the more recent demands of Eva's health concerns on top of my other responsibilities.  (Attending so many appointments and therapy sessions on a weekly basis continues to be draining.)   In September my focus on sewing included two gifts.  The above gift is a colored pencil roll up that I made for my niece Zuzu's birthday.  It was simple to sew and I even have a tutorial on my previous blog that you can visit here .  Eli enjoyed helping me pick out the fabric that he thought Zuzu would enjoy the most which was so sweet.   The second gift which I made was for one of my children