Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Stress
Apparently if you have at least 5 health problems that can be caused by stress, you're probably stressed, even if you don't know it.
Well, at least, I am. Who knew?!
Sure, I get stressed during midterms and finals and just sometimes when I take on a bit too much, but I LOVE taking on a ton! I LOVE staying busy. But apparently I'm more stressed than I knew.
And according to my doctor that may be one of the many ways my mind and body handles stress and that's okay, not even a bad thing!
But, .... I've had bladder/kidney problems my whole life. I had bilateral reimplementation of the ureters (I think?) when I was 15 months old. Over the past year I've had multiple bladder and kidney infections. Within the past few months I've had more supposedly unrelated health problems. I've been to a ton of doctors, on a bunch of different medications, and I've been fine. I have felt better, but just not ... satisfied. Everyone's been looking at things individually, according to their specialty (Why wouldn't they?)
So, Mother's know best, right? Yeah! Mine totally does. She referred me (and my sister, who's had a lot of the same problems) to a new specialist. (Ha, Yep, that actually worked! She had seen him before, so they took us.)
This past Thursday I saw a urogynecologist, Dr. Biller, at Vanderbilt. I LOVE him! Best doctor ever! A urogynecologist "has expertise in gynecology, urology, and bowel dysfunction in women. Due to the close proximity of the pelvic organs, there is frequent coexistence of problems in adjacent organs." Yes, I did just quote my brochure. :)
So, the diagnosis is ... Levator Myalgia, caused by (dun dun dun) Stress!! So, from my understanding of it, it means that my pelvic floor muscles are way too tight, constricting my pelvic organs (hence all the problems!).
It's caused by any type of stress, emotional, anything at all really, or physical, like my surgery when I was an infant. Whatever it was I apparently internalized the stress. (So, some people grind their teeth or tense their shoulders when they're stressed without thinking about it; its kinda like that, apparently.) So, Who knows how it happened.
Doesn't matter! Time to fix it! I've been referred to a physical therapist and a pyschologist, to help me figure out and sort through my stresses, because I'm still in denial that I'm stressed. (hah, joking, kinda, okay, I'm coming around to it, but I'm not like a grumpy grouch stress or going to hurt you kinda stress, and I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing!)
After talking with my doctor, I reread all of my medical notes and brochures from my previous diagnosis, like IBS, GERD and all, and found that they're all caused by stress! (in addition to a ton of other possible causes).
So, who knew?! It's all really fascinating to me and I'm super excited to have answers!
And now, I have yet another reason to be crafty, to paint, to exercise, and to bike ride! Stress Relief! :D
Well, at least, I am. Who knew?!
Sure, I get stressed during midterms and finals and just sometimes when I take on a bit too much, but I LOVE taking on a ton! I LOVE staying busy. But apparently I'm more stressed than I knew.
And according to my doctor that may be one of the many ways my mind and body handles stress and that's okay, not even a bad thing!
But, .... I've had bladder/kidney problems my whole life. I had bilateral reimplementation of the ureters (I think?) when I was 15 months old. Over the past year I've had multiple bladder and kidney infections. Within the past few months I've had more supposedly unrelated health problems. I've been to a ton of doctors, on a bunch of different medications, and I've been fine. I have felt better, but just not ... satisfied. Everyone's been looking at things individually, according to their specialty (Why wouldn't they?)
So, Mother's know best, right? Yeah! Mine totally does. She referred me (and my sister, who's had a lot of the same problems) to a new specialist. (Ha, Yep, that actually worked! She had seen him before, so they took us.)
This past Thursday I saw a urogynecologist, Dr. Biller, at Vanderbilt. I LOVE him! Best doctor ever! A urogynecologist "has expertise in gynecology, urology, and bowel dysfunction in women. Due to the close proximity of the pelvic organs, there is frequent coexistence of problems in adjacent organs." Yes, I did just quote my brochure. :)
So, the diagnosis is ... Levator Myalgia, caused by (dun dun dun) Stress!! So, from my understanding of it, it means that my pelvic floor muscles are way too tight, constricting my pelvic organs (hence all the problems!).
It's caused by any type of stress, emotional, anything at all really, or physical, like my surgery when I was an infant. Whatever it was I apparently internalized the stress. (So, some people grind their teeth or tense their shoulders when they're stressed without thinking about it; its kinda like that, apparently.) So, Who knows how it happened.
Doesn't matter! Time to fix it! I've been referred to a physical therapist and a pyschologist, to help me figure out and sort through my stresses, because I'm still in denial that I'm stressed. (hah, joking, kinda, okay, I'm coming around to it, but I'm not like a grumpy grouch stress or going to hurt you kinda stress, and I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing!)
After talking with my doctor, I reread all of my medical notes and brochures from my previous diagnosis, like IBS, GERD and all, and found that they're all caused by stress! (in addition to a ton of other possible causes).
So, who knew?! It's all really fascinating to me and I'm super excited to have answers!
And now, I have yet another reason to be crafty, to paint, to exercise, and to bike ride! Stress Relief! :D
Monday, June 13, 2011
Home again, Home again, jiggity jig.
Camp Shekinah 2011. It was amazing and totally worth it, but crazy exhausting.
It was great just to be back home, in Columbia for a week too. Mom and I visited a ton - We had a girl's day for her birthday (June 12th), lunch on the square, movie, ice cream from Bruster's, and manicures. I got to visit with the Crawfords, too! And reconnect with some amazing girls!!
Now, it's back to doing my own laundry and making up my own bed. (Mom said she wasn't used to not having control over her house and the messes in it, so she picked them up for me. Not that I wouldn't have on my own.)
...And back to singing and dancing in the kitchen with Ryan while making dinner together (my favorite part of the day!) :)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Torn Between Two Worlds...
Overly dramatic? Yes. Indeed.
Still, I am torn. I have 2 different lives! My life in Columbia and my life in Memphis.
Here's just a bit of what I'm missing this week...
Hampton
Bennett, the youngest. I wanted a picture of him and his goggles that he has now decided he has to wear 24/7, but he decided to tell me his "bottom hurts!!" as I clicked... Oh, I love my job! 
and Pritchard. I'm out of town all week. Their mom even put, "No Maggie" on the family calendar for each day I would have worked this week...
I'll miss this lil' baby, too! (different family)
Haha, This helps me not miss him so much, jk- kinda. ;) He HATES tummy time
And it goes on...
Here's some of what I'm missing out on this week that you shouldn't be if you're in the Memphis area...And if you are missing out on it, then you're reallyyy missing out! (And if you're not in the area and bummed you're missing out, like me - let me know. I'm getting CDs of the God's Signature series and will be listening to them in my car for the next few weeks! (I have no cd player other than my car and my cd drive is on the fritz.))
But, It'll all be worth it once I wake up bright and early, head out into the wilderness that is Camp Shekinah (aka the Smith's backyard), and see my campers! :)
Still, I am torn. I have 2 different lives! My life in Columbia and my life in Memphis.
Here's just a bit of what I'm missing this week...
Hampton
Bennett, the youngest. I wanted a picture of him and his goggles that he has now decided he has to wear 24/7, but he decided to tell me his "bottom hurts!!" as I clicked... Oh, I love my job! 
and Pritchard. I'm out of town all week. Their mom even put, "No Maggie" on the family calendar for each day I would have worked this week...
I'll miss this lil' baby, too! (different family)
Haha, This helps me not miss him so much, jk- kinda. ;) He HATES tummy time
And it goes on...
But, It'll all be worth it once I wake up bright and early, head out into the wilderness that is Camp Shekinah (aka the Smith's backyard), and see my campers! :)
Summations and Conclusions
The lady that hit us in the wreck DOES have insurance.
They DID finally contact Ryan (about 5 days after).
Ryan DID get a rental car!!
Yay Yay yay yay! All of those were... very high up in the air and each prompted a bit (ha.) of stress towards the end of this past week.
So, his Focus was newer, nicer, and just better, but this one can be driven at the moment, so it's got something going for it. ;)
Ryan did have a great first week (3 days) at his new job! He's really into what he's doing and is actually talking about it voluntarily; if you know Ry, you know that meas he LOVES it.
This is after day numero uno. I picked him up because of the wreck and all. (Sorry, I need a carwash).
Ryan and I did have an awesome anniversary celebration! I confess - We did nothing but eat at Dairy Queen the night of (with us being horrificly old, concerned about "worknights", extremely exhausted, and what not). We did go to Putt Putt on Friday night, though! :) Crazy kids.
And I'm in Columbia for the week now (to be a counselor at a day camp - more to come on that). To mark that, here's a picture of the mix Ryan made for my car ride. "Winders" The first song is Windows are Rolled Down, by Amos Lee and according to Ryan, people in Columbia would say, "Winders are rolled down"...
And a picture of my cat, that is somehow still alive.... I love her.
I have the best family and best childhood friend - Shout out to you, right there, Anna, that any girl could have and I had one of the best nights visiting with them both, sitting outside under Mom's new patio umbrella eating grilled chicken and veggie kabobs last night, my first night home.
I have the best boyfriend .... and my boyfriend has the best family that any guy could have. (Haha, okay, okay, both families are the best). So, Ryans a working man in Memphis. Still, I spent this Sunday as I've spent every other Sunday (that I've been in Columbia) for the past 5 years, with the Crawfords.
:D I am blessed!
So, there's some conclusions concerning the wreck week, and just some overall observations about my life... :)
They DID finally contact Ryan (about 5 days after).
Ryan DID get a rental car!!
Yay Yay yay yay! All of those were... very high up in the air and each prompted a bit (ha.) of stress towards the end of this past week.
So, his Focus was newer, nicer, and just better, but this one can be driven at the moment, so it's got something going for it. ;)
Ryan did have a great first week (3 days) at his new job! He's really into what he's doing and is actually talking about it voluntarily; if you know Ry, you know that meas he LOVES it.
Ryan and I did have an awesome anniversary celebration! I confess - We did nothing but eat at Dairy Queen the night of (with us being horrificly old, concerned about "worknights", extremely exhausted, and what not). We did go to Putt Putt on Friday night, though! :) Crazy kids.
And I'm in Columbia for the week now (to be a counselor at a day camp - more to come on that). To mark that, here's a picture of the mix Ryan made for my car ride. "Winders" The first song is Windows are Rolled Down, by Amos Lee and according to Ryan, people in Columbia would say, "Winders are rolled down"...
I have the best family and best childhood friend - Shout out to you, right there, Anna, that any girl could have and I had one of the best nights visiting with them both, sitting outside under Mom's new patio umbrella eating grilled chicken and veggie kabobs last night, my first night home.
I have the best boyfriend .... and my boyfriend has the best family that any guy could have. (Haha, okay, okay, both families are the best). So, Ryans a working man in Memphis. Still, I spent this Sunday as I've spent every other Sunday (that I've been in Columbia) for the past 5 years, with the Crawfords.
:D I am blessed!
So, there's some conclusions concerning the wreck week, and just some overall observations about my life... :)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
We've been through...
Everything together!!!
Ryan and I, that is. Tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary, (facebook refuses to let me forget. I've been getting notifications saying that our anniversary is Thursday, and now tomorrow, since last Thursday. :))
I'm sure I'll make a sappy post with some of our favorite pictures and memories, tomorrow while I'm at work, and while he is working, too. But, for now I'm focusing on something a bit different....
5 years is a long time. It kinda freaks me out when I'm around a five year old and begin to think about it. Isn't that just weird?
5 years is a long time... we've both gone off to college(s) in that time, moved in and out of dorms repeatedly, moved into apartments, seen at least 4 different couples of friends and family get married (half of which, we've been together longer than... weird!), been there for each other through sicknesses, surgeries, hospitalizations (I'll admit - he's been there for me through all of those. Not that I wouldn't be there for him; he just doesnt get sick...), graduations from high school & college (for him), numerous new jobs (and finally a career-type job, for Ry!)...
Yesterday was our relax day. It was his last day of freedom, before his M-F 8-5 job. We went out to lunch (at 5 guy's!!), planned to go see his new office building ...
Okay, okay, I don't suppose I can ever say we've been through everything, but... we've been through a lot and yesterday just added to the number.
On our way from lunch to his office building, we had a wreck. We're both fine. Just a bit bruised and scratched from the airbags, sore from the impact and whip-lash, and just tired!
Ry's car, however, isn't...fine. We're not sure if its totaled yet or not, because it's such a new car and is still worth so much. Yeah, it's the same car that his Grandmother got brand new this time last year as an early graduation gift (before that we were sharing mine and did so for about 2 years and it worked just fine and now, we are again...)
Ryan was amazing, as always, through it all. He made sure I was okay and taken care of. He helped me out of the car and onto the curb and we sat and waited as the paramedics and police came. Then we called Lane, who is also amazing, to come get us and take us home. Lane treats me like a sister in the best and worst ways, he picks on me like crazy, yet makes sure I'm taken care of too. And, I mean, I may be the butt of his jokes sometimes, but they're still hilarious.
So, Ryan and I rested, iced our bruises and got ready for his first day! We did laundry, ironed new work shirts, and made his lunch together :)
He picked me up (I let him have my car for the night) at 7 ish this morning. I didn't even know people were awake at that time!! Okay, I atleast didn't know Ryan could ever be awake at that time! ;)
I dropped him off and his office building, and finally saw it.
He texted during his lunch break and said that it was "fine." That means its great for him. :)
I'll miss that little ford if he does have to get a new car. It helped protect us. All the airbags deployed, front and side. ...that was an ... experience. The windshield and the front 2 windows cracked and began to shatter, but we weren't scratched from that. Although, I did find glass in my clothes when I changed that night. And we both had our seatbelts on.
Ultimately though, our Savior and Father God protected us.
Ryan and I, that is. Tomorrow is our 5 year anniversary, (facebook refuses to let me forget. I've been getting notifications saying that our anniversary is Thursday, and now tomorrow, since last Thursday. :))
I'm sure I'll make a sappy post with some of our favorite pictures and memories, tomorrow while I'm at work, and while he is working, too. But, for now I'm focusing on something a bit different....
5 years is a long time. It kinda freaks me out when I'm around a five year old and begin to think about it. Isn't that just weird?
5 years is a long time... we've both gone off to college(s) in that time, moved in and out of dorms repeatedly, moved into apartments, seen at least 4 different couples of friends and family get married (half of which, we've been together longer than... weird!), been there for each other through sicknesses, surgeries, hospitalizations (I'll admit - he's been there for me through all of those. Not that I wouldn't be there for him; he just doesnt get sick...), graduations from high school & college (for him), numerous new jobs (and finally a career-type job, for Ry!)...
Yesterday was our relax day. It was his last day of freedom, before his M-F 8-5 job. We went out to lunch (at 5 guy's!!), planned to go see his new office building ...
Okay, okay, I don't suppose I can ever say we've been through everything, but... we've been through a lot and yesterday just added to the number.
On our way from lunch to his office building, we had a wreck. We're both fine. Just a bit bruised and scratched from the airbags, sore from the impact and whip-lash, and just tired!
Ry's car, however, isn't...fine. We're not sure if its totaled yet or not, because it's such a new car and is still worth so much. Yeah, it's the same car that his Grandmother got brand new this time last year as an early graduation gift (before that we were sharing mine and did so for about 2 years and it worked just fine and now, we are again...)
Ryan was amazing, as always, through it all. He made sure I was okay and taken care of. He helped me out of the car and onto the curb and we sat and waited as the paramedics and police came. Then we called Lane, who is also amazing, to come get us and take us home. Lane treats me like a sister in the best and worst ways, he picks on me like crazy, yet makes sure I'm taken care of too. And, I mean, I may be the butt of his jokes sometimes, but they're still hilarious.
So, Ryan and I rested, iced our bruises and got ready for his first day! We did laundry, ironed new work shirts, and made his lunch together :)
He picked me up (I let him have my car for the night) at 7 ish this morning. I didn't even know people were awake at that time!! Okay, I atleast didn't know Ryan could ever be awake at that time! ;)
I dropped him off and his office building, and finally saw it.
He texted during his lunch break and said that it was "fine." That means its great for him. :)
I'll miss that little ford if he does have to get a new car. It helped protect us. All the airbags deployed, front and side. ...that was an ... experience. The windshield and the front 2 windows cracked and began to shatter, but we weren't scratched from that. Although, I did find glass in my clothes when I changed that night. And we both had our seatbelts on.
Ultimately though, our Savior and Father God protected us.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Memorial Day Makeshift Curtain
I did it! I crafted! I made a makeshift kitchen curtain.
I did some spring cleaning this afternoon and found an old table cloth (from my small kitchen table in my old dorm). I love the fabric and the colors go well in my kitchen. Andd.. It was the perfect size for my window!
In reality, I tacked a piece of fabric to a window ...
... Ryan's Mom, Lanelle, made the table cloth.
I put two push pins in the top corners.
I cut ribbons and draped them over the top to tie it up.
But I tried, right? Haha. I don't have a sewing machine. It's on my wishlist (that and learning how to sew more than a straight stitch).
I don't think it looks half bad...
It was a spur of the moment craft with things I already had.
I doubt I'll ever leave it like this. I don't like how the ribbons just hang, plus I like the sun coming through!
The finished product! At first I just had 2 ribbons, but the middle sank too much.
I hope to sew it and maybe even add a curtain rod (gettin' fancy! ;)), but for now it serves its purpose!
I did some spring cleaning this afternoon and found an old table cloth (from my small kitchen table in my old dorm). I love the fabric and the colors go well in my kitchen. Andd.. It was the perfect size for my window!
In reality, I tacked a piece of fabric to a window ...
... Ryan's Mom, Lanelle, made the table cloth.
I put two push pins in the top corners.
I cut ribbons and draped them over the top to tie it up.
But I tried, right? Haha. I don't have a sewing machine. It's on my wishlist (that and learning how to sew more than a straight stitch).
I don't think it looks half bad...
It was a spur of the moment craft with things I already had.
I doubt I'll ever leave it like this. I don't like how the ribbons just hang, plus I like the sun coming through!
Just to show how it's just rolled up and tied.
The finished product! At first I just had 2 ribbons, but the middle sank too much.
It does a bit, but not nearly as bad!
Happy Memorial Day!
Sorry, I've been on a bit of a hiatus. Relaxin' and enjoyin' the holiday weekend and all! Ryan's parents came in town on Friday and stayed til this afternoon. They stayed at Lane and Erin's, so we stayed at Lane and Erin's most all weekend too. ;)
I love festive food, especially flag cakes! I made a chocolate cake, with cool whip (beats icing any day!), and blueberries and strawberries for the cookout.
So, Lane and Erin's house came with a pool table, hehe. They played constantly!!
I worked Saturday morning. ...Can you call this work? This lil guy is William. We spent the morning at Shelby Farms riding. I ran beside him the whole time; he's a speedster!
So, that's my weekend! How was yours?!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Encouragement
Lately, I've been feeling kinda down. I've been dealing with some health issues that I thought I wouldn't have to deal with until I was in my 50's if even then. I finally had my gastroenterologist appointment yesterday and got some answers. Not the answers I wanted, but considering how much worse all the other answers are, I'm very thankful for the answers that I did receive. (I know I'm being very vague and I apologize for that. It's just all kinda yuck-o.) I was on the phone with my Mom yesterday afternoon, explaining everything to her to the best of my ability and got worked up about it all. It finally hit me. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, of spending all day marathons in the doctors offices, of putting my paychecks directly towards co-pays and medicine. I didn't want to think about it or deal with it anymore, so I excused myself and got off the phone. I sent a text apologizing and my Mom replied... "Your body. You control it. A dr's diagnosis doesn't. I won't a accept a life sentence for my daughter. I see you whole." DISCLAIMER - She makes it sound a lot worse that it is but at that time I was too so I needed that encouragement. I had spent the first half of the day at the doctor, the second half at work, the third half (yes, I know that there can't be a third half - but yesterday was a long day and a third half happened), working again with another family. Mom continued to encourage,
"You're amazing. Be calm calm calm always. No matter what keep the inside calm even if you are yelling for your life. There's a power we trust so we don't have to worry."
....By the time I got that text I was at work, tears came to my eyes - not in pity for myself, maybe in embarrassment for thinking the way I did, but mostly in pure awe of the wisdom of my mother. William, the 6 year old with autism, saw me and responded with a hug, which made the tears actually run down my cheek.
Thank you Mom (and William) and Katie.
Not to leave my sister out... When I got home from work, I updated her. She responded with the most ... touching? disheartening? Erm.. Thought-provoking and encouraging story. And we cried. again.
I LOVE this picture of my Mom. It was the day I got my new bike; she took it for a testdrive.
This kid makes me smile. always. In this picture, he makes me crack up.
"You're amazing. Be calm calm calm always. No matter what keep the inside calm even if you are yelling for your life. There's a power we trust so we don't have to worry."
....By the time I got that text I was at work, tears came to my eyes - not in pity for myself, maybe in embarrassment for thinking the way I did, but mostly in pure awe of the wisdom of my mother. William, the 6 year old with autism, saw me and responded with a hug, which made the tears actually run down my cheek.
Thank you Mom (and William) and Katie.
Not to leave my sister out... When I got home from work, I updated her. She responded with the most ... touching? disheartening? Erm.. Thought-provoking and encouraging story. And we cried. again.
I LOVE this picture of my Mom. It was the day I got my new bike; she took it for a testdrive.
This kid makes me smile. always. In this picture, he makes me crack up. So, I'll leave you with my new favorite quote,
"Be calm calm calm always. No matter what, keep the inside calm even if you are yelling for your life. There's a power we trust so we don't have to worry."
Saturday, May 21, 2011
An Object in Motion...
An Object in Motion tends to stay in motion...
After a day like today, I believe that applies to me as well.
Ryan and I left Arkansas around 10:00, after waking up at 8 and having an early grocery shopping trip. (Ry's Grandmother wanted to take us so he could fill up a buggy full. She loves to take care of her family and does an amazing job of it!!) Once in Memphis, we helped Lane and Erin move until 3. Their new house is gorgeous and is just going to get even more beautiful as they decorate! Ryan dropped me off at my apartment; I unpacked, did laundry, and cleaned. I tried to sit outside and read but it was too anti-climatic, I suppose. I went bargain shopping! To Overstock Outlet off of Summer (I was looking for printer cartridges, but left with everything but) and to City Thrift to look at kitchen chairs and left with 3 tops, a skirt, and 3 pairs of pants (Express, Gap, and Fossil) for under 40 bucks. :) Woot! And no chairs... Then, I came back, did more laundry, dishes, cleaned the whole apartment, programmed the t.v. remote, made dinner, cleaned out the fridge, and.... made my "Our Life" Binder!!! I'll create a new post with pictures about it soon. I got the idea from this blog http://mandicresswell.blogspot.com/2011/03/home-notebook-our-life-binder.html, but struggled with designing my own documents, so I gave up... until she posted her templates for freeee!!! Now, to relax, fold the last load of clothes, review my Bible lesson, and sleep. :)
After a day like today, I believe that applies to me as well.
Ryan and I left Arkansas around 10:00, after waking up at 8 and having an early grocery shopping trip. (Ry's Grandmother wanted to take us so he could fill up a buggy full. She loves to take care of her family and does an amazing job of it!!) Once in Memphis, we helped Lane and Erin move until 3. Their new house is gorgeous and is just going to get even more beautiful as they decorate! Ryan dropped me off at my apartment; I unpacked, did laundry, and cleaned. I tried to sit outside and read but it was too anti-climatic, I suppose. I went bargain shopping! To Overstock Outlet off of Summer (I was looking for printer cartridges, but left with everything but) and to City Thrift to look at kitchen chairs and left with 3 tops, a skirt, and 3 pairs of pants (Express, Gap, and Fossil) for under 40 bucks. :) Woot! And no chairs... Then, I came back, did more laundry, dishes, cleaned the whole apartment, programmed the t.v. remote, made dinner, cleaned out the fridge, and.... made my "Our Life" Binder!!! I'll create a new post with pictures about it soon. I got the idea from this blog http://mandicresswell.blogspot.com/2011/03/home-notebook-our-life-binder.html, but struggled with designing my own documents, so I gave up... until she posted her templates for freeee!!! Now, to relax, fold the last load of clothes, review my Bible lesson, and sleep. :)
Friday, May 20, 2011
Kiddo Crafts
More past projects. Theses are more children centered. Most are from a Little Girl's Craft Day I had a few months back. Four 3-5 year old girls being cute and crafty; we all loved it! 
Pasta Jewelery. Very simple to prepare for and huge hit! (What little girl doesn't want to make/wear jewelry) Dye the noodles (penne or any noodle with a wide hole) at least 24 hours before in food coloring and rubbing alcohol. Pat dry and then leave to dry on paper towels over night. And you're ready to string them! I just used purple yarn, taped off the ends so it wouldn't fray. I did tape the opposite end to a note card with the kids names on it, to prevent the noodles from coming off the other end. 
Another amazingly easy craft. Prayer Cards! I had all the girls in my Bible class that semester. I used colored card stock cut in 1/4ths, wrote ___ is thankful for ____. I pray to say "Thank you" everyday! We filled in the blanks together and they colored a picture of what they were thankful for in the middle. I have a mini laminator that we used to have a neat finish product. I use my example piece as a bookmark. 
I suppose this was our main craft. Handprint placemats! I couldn't find a handprint poem that I loved online, so I edited and combined to come up with a new one. Here's my example.
Here's the back. I went back and bolded ABCDEFG and 1234. 
Here's the girl's. They were 2 sided, 2 parts really. The front was the poem and your handprints, the back your friend's handprints and a friendship poem that I came up with. I cut posterboard into 1/4ths and wrote the poems on them the night before. We did the prints. They dried and I put the 2 pieces back to back and laminated them. (I had to do it in 2 pieces rather than just front and back because we only had a few hours, rather than overnight, and no time for them to dry.) 
This isn't really a Kiddo Craft, just a kiddo costume. One of the boys that I nanny for wanted to be an iPod for Halloween, but the Mom didn't have time to make his costume. I stepped in and with the help of a printer and dollar tree made a pretty neat costume, if I do say so myself! ;) The Wii is a costume left over from last year that just needed some touch ups. And the Batman... He's my man. That's William, the little boy with austim that I've been working for the longest! 
This is from a Christian Day Camp in Columbia. I have the Pre-K Kiddos. By the end of the week we were running out of crafts to do (The other kids do sports and more advanced crafts. We do A LOT of crafts and play.) We had a ton of already completed crafts and left over bags from the previous year ... and paint dotters. :) 
Hehe. Each age group puts on a skit at the end of the week for the camp. The pre-k kids did The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I sat in the middle of the stage and read as they acted it out/wondered around around me. We made these caterpillars earlier in the week. I added yarn and made them into necklaces for our costumes (Everyone was a caterpillar). We choose The Very Hungry Caterpillar because I read it on the first day before nap time (and every other day, multiple times at their request.) I love Eric Carle! Past Projects
Here's a few of my past projects from school. I have a ton more but don't have them all on my laptop. 
Reading Honors Project: Favorite Author Bio Board.
Reading Honors Project: Favorite Author Bio Board.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Story Retelling in Drama ... (This picture was taken in my old dorm)
Detailed picture of my coconut tree and the injured letters.
Physical Education Bulletin Board assignment from PETE - Teaching P.E. K-6th3rd time's a charm, right?
Welp... This is my third attempt at a blog. I just never stuck with it before. I didn't have the time, didn't like my set-up, didn't like what I was writing about, overall just felt too limited. Maybe I'll stick with this one. Who knows.
Regardless, my reason for creating this blog - with the latent function of it occupying my time while I nanny and the four month old naps - is to hold myself accountable. I'm not sure how that works, really. But I believe that if I tell everyone, or at least publish it for everyone to read, whether they do or not... I will stick to my goals better. My goals aren't very lofty... I simply want to take time to craft, paint, (learn how to) sew, (relearn how to) knit, do home (apartment) improvement tasks, to cook, to be adventurous, to bike...
Normally, I do all of the above in the summer, but this summer I'm in Memphis - for good, in an apartment with the best roomie ever (my sister), and since I'm not at home with bumming off of Mom, I have rent and bills to pay... So, I work...
I work. A lot. And I LOVE it! My work is part of my hobbies. I nanny for 3 different families and love all of my boys dearly! I'm tempted to work too much. The hours are there. The pay is great. The work is fun! But when I work too much, I don't have time for the rest.
This blog is my reminder to take time for the rest!
I suppose I'll follow up this first post with my past craft and home improvement attempts... if I can find the pictures and figure out how to upload them....
Regardless, my reason for creating this blog - with the latent function of it occupying my time while I nanny and the four month old naps - is to hold myself accountable. I'm not sure how that works, really. But I believe that if I tell everyone, or at least publish it for everyone to read, whether they do or not... I will stick to my goals better. My goals aren't very lofty... I simply want to take time to craft, paint, (learn how to) sew, (relearn how to) knit, do home (apartment) improvement tasks, to cook, to be adventurous, to bike...
Normally, I do all of the above in the summer, but this summer I'm in Memphis - for good, in an apartment with the best roomie ever (my sister), and since I'm not at home with bumming off of Mom, I have rent and bills to pay... So, I work...
I work. A lot. And I LOVE it! My work is part of my hobbies. I nanny for 3 different families and love all of my boys dearly! I'm tempted to work too much. The hours are there. The pay is great. The work is fun! But when I work too much, I don't have time for the rest.
This blog is my reminder to take time for the rest!
I suppose I'll follow up this first post with my past craft and home improvement attempts... if I can find the pictures and figure out how to upload them....
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