big news!

Fall is always a little hectic around here.  We're getting back into the swing of the school scheduling while also juggling the extracurricular activities of choice...this year soccer and football.  We're volunteering for field trips and Oktoberfest and classroom parties.  Kris is working.  I'm preparing, in my business, for the busy holiday season ahead.  What we're apparently not doing...is blogging!

Here's the major update of our fall season: we're moving to Michigan!  Kris took a new position with a company in Auburn Hills and we're waiting on the house to sell so we can all make the transition.  It was a pretty tough decision, but when we consider our own childhoods, we don't really think of where we went to school or what our parents' job titles were.  What we think of is birthday parties surrounded by family and family vacations and Sunday dinners with our grandparents.  While we'll still be a couple hours away from the closest grandparents, we are anticipating our family being more a part of our normal routine rather our "vacation".  And the prospect of giving this to our kids makes me so happy.

So, as we fumble through sports and school and activities, I'm trying to take advantage of all we have enjoyed about living in KY, since I know the time to leave is quickly approaching.  It will be bittersweet as we have really loved it here, but we are also so excited to be back in the state where Vernors in a can is readily accessible!  Okay...and, where we have the potential to see extended family members on a more frequent basis. :)

Updates on fall sports coming soon!

now is the time

The kids have been back to school for three weeks.

But, that's really not what this post is about, even if I am including an obligatory first day of school photo.

Last year, the first weeks of school were filled with anxiety, nervousness and worry...for me.  Sure, the kids did great, but I was a ball of stress as I sat waiting for the phone call from school that someone had just had an allergic reaction or had just fallen and split their head open on the playground.  Of course, as always, I was worrying for no reason.  They were safe and secure and I learned to let go and put my trust in the awesome school we've chosen for them.

As the year went on, though, I started to realize how fast they would be exposed to major issues in the world...issues that I worked diligently to keep from seeping into their brains and sparking the very worry that I had for their safety.  The day they came home talking about the "bad guy" drill they had at school, I wanted to pack up my family and move them to a desert island.  Then I remembered that my kid is allergic to coconuts.  So, I regrouped and started to change my ways.

The morning after they told me how they were told by their teachers to hide in their classroom and practice being as quiet as possible so a "bad guy" wouldn't find them, I stopped turning down the radio in the car when the news report came on.  If questions ever arose from that news report, I tried to answer them honestly, but tried hard not to scare the pants off of them at the same time.

As much as I would like them to be sheltered forever and believe that the world is all rainbows and butterflies, I realized that, now that they were venturing outside of home without us, they were going to have to start to be aware that there are not so nice things in this world that may affect them or someone they love.  It was this summer that they first really learned about why we are so thankful to our soldiers when a young man that I had the privilege of babysitting when he was a smiley little blonde preschooler was killed in Afghanistan.  My emotions were visible as I proudly showed my kids the photos and news reports of the hero welcome that my hometown displayed as Brian's body was brought back to be laid to rest.

This year, as we drove to the first day of school, I couldn't help but think of this time of year ten years ago.  Kris and I had just gotten married and moved and were excited about our new life together.  Then, one month later, the towers fell and my "rainbows and butterflies" perception of the world changed completely.  Yes, I'd dealt with tough times before then...medical issues, teenage angst, and my best friend losing her younger brother when he was hit by a car when we were in high school.  But, I will admit, I was still pretty oblivious to most world issues.  But, that day...well, I'm pretty sure I will always remember where I was and what I was doing as I learned of the news and watched the second plane hit.  And this year, on the tenth anniversary of that tragic day, I think I have decided that it is time to share it with my kids.

I want them to know about those "bad guys", but, more importantly, about the heroes that day.  I want them to know how it affected us and those around us.  I want them to know that someone we went to school with was in those towers and made it out and ran for his life as far as he could.  I want them to know that Mrs. Brook was in the city when it happened and fearfully walked the miles back to Brooklyn, unsure of what was to come.  I want them to know why those soldiers are at war now.  And how patriotism swelled and "I love you" could be heard amongst strangers.  I want them to know that we cried and that it's okay to cry and feel compassion for those we don't know personally.  I want them to know that I prayed for the families of those lost and the safety of those I love.

But, most of all, I want them to know that we were scared.  And that, slowly, but surely, we learned to try to not live in fear.  And I want them to learn that every day is a gift.

Okay, yes, I still have my moments where the anxiety takes over, such as those first few weeks of school last year.  But, I was truly transformed by that awful day ten years ago and the months that followed, as I'm sure many others were, and I feel like it's time to share that with the two that I have been entrusted to love and comfort and teach.

Molly & Gordon — recent work

Remember to LIKE my Facebook page for product updates here: www.facebook.com/mollyandgordon

Molly & Gordon — new to the shop

Photography. Who knew, right? I was pretty happy with these shots when I started sorting through my photos from MI, so I decided to go ahead and post them to the shop and see if there was any interest.

You can check these out on the shop here. Let me know what you think!

Photos from family/friend time in MI coming soon...

What we've been up to {Part 7}

We've (well, Sam's) been jump roping for heart to raise money for the American Heart Association in his Papa Mike's and Grandma Pat's names as they've been working on changing their lifestyles after both suffering heart attacks two years ago. Well, actually, Sam raised the money and then his mother (along with some other parents at school...which made me feel a little better) neglected to print out the donation sheet from his online page where we had registered, so he missed the jump rope event. I felt horrible when I inquired with the gym teacher at school and learned that I had missed the last step. Sam got over it pretty quickly when he found out that he would still receive his t-shirt and jump rope for participating. Me, I'm still working on getting over it. Mom guilt...never-ending...ugh.

What we've been up to {Part 6}

We've (okay, I've) been designing, painting, crafting, etc...

Check out my Etsy shop here for new items. I also recently created a Facebook fan page, so please check it out here and LIKE it for updates on new products.

Molly & Gordon — business update

Over the past few weeks, I've been working on designs for birthday party invitations and birth announcements that I'm working on getting posted to my shop. I'm also pleased to announce that I have created a Facebook page for Molly & Gordon, so please check it out, "LIKE" it, and suggest it to your friends. I am updating there as I upload new products and designs and I plan on doing some contests down the road, so you won't want to miss out! This week, I've added the following birthday party invitations. Click on the links below the photos to place an order.

Available here

Available here

Available here

Available here

More to come...please check back often! I will also post very soon with a family update...we've been up to our ears in field trips, tball, soccer, dance and travel!

a couple of new items at my shop!

I listed two new items that are ready to ship at Molly & Gordon this week. Click on their titles below to check them out and please share with friends!

Teal Birdie

Little Owl

Thanks!

I'll take that as a (blatant) sign

So I was making cookies with Grace yesterday. As I was rolling out the dough, I sprinkled some flour on top of it so it wouldn't stick to the rolling pin. And, as I continued rolling, that flour worked it's way into the tiny cracks that formed as the dough stretched under the rolling pin. That's when Grace excitedly noticed that, "MOMMY! That looks like the backs of your heels on your feet!!!"

Sounds like someone is in dire need of a pedicure if they think they're going to be wearing flip flops in public anytime soon... *sigh*

custom wedding invitations + a little organization

I'm the guest blogger over at the Kuzak's Closet blog today, as part of Wedding Week! Click here to go over and check out my post on custom wedding invitations.

In honor of being featured on the blog of my super-organized organizer friend, I decided to clean out the medicine cabinet in our kitchen this past weekend. Check out my before and afters below!

before / after

Mandy is going to be so proud of me! I used some tips I've picked up from her blog, as I was figuring out the best way to create a useful space out of the original unorganized mess. If you are in the San Francisco Bay area and in need of a little help weeding through your clutter, be sure to contact Kuzak's Closet.

the big news

There have been big changes around here over the past few weeks. I'm just going to skip the long story and say that I'm now working independently, from the comfort of my own house...and LOVING it! I'm slowly starting to grow my business and have a long list of plans to continue that growth, which includes expanding my Etsy shop. As I post new items, I will be updating here, so watch for them. Also, a Facebook business page will be in my future, and I will also post a link to that here. For now, click here for a link to a brief online portfolio of my work. If you are in need of design work, please contact me, and if you know anyone looking for a designer, please feel free to pass the link along to them. Thanks!

camera love

New camera from Santa + a few years of Photoshop experience = one happy mama. :)

Bucket List

Somebody asked me to place this list somewhere other than in my head. Since I've already crossed off the husband, the family, the house, the cat, the dog and a few other items, this list contains mostly travel and a few other things. You'll see that I'm not much of a thrill seeker...just more of an experience seeker. Here goes, in no particular order (except for the first two!)...

• See my kids faces as they experience Disney World

I'd like to see this while they are still young and in complete awe of everything...when they still think the whole thing is magical and not at all boring, or tiring, or hot, etc.

• Visit Italy

I studied art history in college and have my sights set on Florence first to see the more obscure, less sought after work of the masters there, then on to Rome for the mainstream stuff, and, of course, the Vatican.

• European vacation

To include France, Poland, Spain, and Greece to name a few. Would LOVE to find design inspiration in Greek architecture overlooking the Mediterranean.

• Take a honeymoon

We decided, when we got married, to do a quick, small trip to Mackinac Island since we were moving and the week was a little hectic, and agreed to do a bigger, longer trip chock full of new experiences for both of us "later". So far, "later" has not come...years living away from the rest of the family has had us using all available vacation time to visit back "home". Some of the other items on this list could come into play to accomplish this item. :)

• Be a room parent for each of my kids for at least one of their elementary school years

Too hard to step up for right now with the work schedule.

• Visit Ireland and England

Who wouldn't want to have a beer in a pub with the locals in Ireland? Or try to make the guards crack a smile at Buckingham Palace?

• Build my own business

I've been working on projects here and there for years, but never really put in the sweat to turn it in to something more. Ideally, I'd eventually like this to be enough to contribute to the household income without the need for a "regular" desk job. This would help me accomplish the above item, as well.

• Own a house with studio space

I'd love a single-purpose space that's just mine, where I can leave my projects out, pin up my creative inspiration, and just work. And when I'm done at the end of the day (or the middle of the night!), I'd love to be able to close the door and not worry about little hands getting into everything! Oh, and I wouldn't mind if that studio space was in a craftsman home, either. :)

• Walk the Freedom Trail in Boston with my kids

Definitely want to do this while they are still little sponges who are fascinated by history.

• Swim with tropical fish in clear, blue water and lounge on beautiful beaches in: Australia (Great Barrier Reef), Hawaii and Jamaica

• Have a destination girls' weekend with my college girlfriends

We're always trying to meet up and split the driving. I think it would be easier for us each to just drive to the nearest airport, though, and fly in somewhere...like NYC, or Jamaica, or Napa, or Paris!

• Take a Michigan vacation

I know...sounds like the same thing we do several times a year, but really, I want to take a MI vacation where we go see all the touristy sights and, while traveling around the state, take time to meet up with all the friends we are forced to ignore when we're traveling up for long family weekends/holidays/major life events.

• Attend as many nephews' and nieces' birthday parties as I can

I'm so sad that I haven't been able to be at any of the Vegas babies' parties, yet! I do hope to do this in the future and hit several more of the Chicago babies' parties, too. Luckily, Graham was born just after Christmas so we get to celebrate when we're together at the holidays.

• Host the family Christmas at our house

Growing up, Christmas traditions always included a big celebration at our own house on Christmas Eve. I really want to give that to our kids at least once, which I know is a stretch to do when you're at least two states away from the whole family, but that's what a bucket list is for, right?

• Learn how to can tomatoes

I loved the garden experience when we planted one for the first time last summer, but we felt a little overwhelmed by all the food it yielded...we had a hard time keeping up with the harvest and eating everything before it went bad. I would like to learn how to can the tomatoes at least, so I can feed my family fresh from the garden even in the middle of the winter.

• Learn how to cut hair

I've always thought that I could be good at this. I love styling hair for special occasions, so why not try my hand at cutting it? :)

Okay, that's all for now. I mean, there are the obvious ones, like childrens' graduations/weddings/etc. And I'm sure this list will grow and change (and hopefully dwindle!) as time goes by, but for now, this is my list. Now to start crossing off...

good for the soul

Come next week, we will have lived in Kentucky for three years. I can hardly believe it! I was skeptical when we first moved and thought, by this time, we would for sure be back in Ohio. While we don't know if or when that will happen, at this point, I can honestly say that we are content in this city right now. We and the kids are happy with our church/school. The climate down here is amazing. We enjoy all that Lexington has to offer including restaurants, shopping, culture and special events. And we've made friends here.

I guess the only big drawback that still gets to me from time to time is the distance to family and friends back "home" ("home" meaning MI and OH). So, when we began making plans to attend the wedding of two friends I worked with in Cleveland at the end of October and I began making plans to get together with my college roomies for a girls' shopping weekend the very next weekend, I couldn't have been more excited.

First up was Jeanine and Kevin's wedding. Katie was available to spend the night with the kids that weekend, so we hit the road childless for the 5-hour trip to Cleveland. We were in town for less than 24 hours, but made sure to make the best of our short trip. The ceremony and reception was beautiful. The company, that I hadn't known I was missing so much, was amazingly fun. And the memories made might just be enough to tide me over until the next reunion.

The following weekend, I roadtripped by myself to Detroit to meet up with my roommates from my senior year in college. We all shared a house off campus and that year, we sealed friendships that had been building during our underclassman years and I realized that I had found lifelong friends. We try to get together once a year and additional meetups are bonuses with all of our busy job and family schedules. This shopping weekend north of Detroit was a first get-together in years where no one was pregnant or nursing! We enjoyed catching up, reliving college days, shopped till we dropped then enjoyed good food and wine. Love these girls so much and wish these we were able to do these weekends more often!

Two friend weekends in a row is rare but more than welcome, even if it did mean SEVERAL tanks of gas! Miss these people so much!

his Heaven

We used to have this dog named Shadow when I was kid. Claire received her as a birthday present when she was 8 or 9, but I'm pretty sure I was more attached to the mutt than my little sister was. It actually worked out quite well, since I got to love the dog and, since Shadow "officially" belonged to Claire, she had to pick up the poop. (And Claire has never forgotten that fact...)

Shadow was a pretty good dog. Sure she had her faults. She was a little timid with strangers and a few family friends and wasn't so comfortable with little kids, since we weren't exactly little when we got her, so she wasn't accustomed to having little beings pulling on her or chasing her. But I still loved her. My grandpa did, too. But, then again, my grandpa loved any animal.

I guess you could say he was the St. Francis of our family (I know you Catholics out there get it...patron saint of animals). The man would go out in the yard to work and have garter snakes that he had tamed follow him around as he completed his chores. He thought it was great, but when the snakes tried to make friends with Grandma when she was hanging laundry on the line, she wasn't too thrilled! He talked to the deer and rabbits who wandered into the yard and fed the stray dogs passing through over the years. Yes, he loved all animals, and somehow got all of them to love him back. I mean, Shadow would almost pee on the floor from excitement every time I asked her if she wanted to "go see Grandpa?"

As my cousins, my sister, my dad and my uncle got up to speak about my grandpa last week at his prayer service the night before his funeral, I listened to heartwarming words and funny stories pertaining to his work ethic, his parenting skills, his love for his family, and his faith. I wanted to stand up and tell the fondest memory of my Grandpa, but was a little worried about possibly being judged for the event I wanted to share and also erupting into either tears or a coughing fit, as I was battling a cold and sinus infection, so instead I stayed seated. I've been thinking about it ever since, though, so...here goes:

Three weeks after our wedding, Kris and I drove up to Harbor Beach to spend Labor Day weekend with my family. At this point, Shadow was about 9 years old. She had been barking and growling at pedestrians on my parents' road, so they had decided to board her for the annual Labor Day bbq that weekend, so she wouldn't be overwhelmed by the crowd and cause any issues. The day before THE party, an impromptu pre-bbq happened to form at my parents' with my grandparents and several of the seasonal neighbors' kids and grandkids who were camping down the road for the weekend.

Shadow was still home, at that point. One of the little girls who was over had just lost her old black lab and was so excited to see Shadow, who looked like a mini black lab sitting there. Before we knew it, she had hugged the dog from behind and Shadow turned around and bit the little girl on the cheek.

Everything happened very quickly ...the little girl was rushed to the ER for two stitches on her face and my parents decided it was time to put the dog down and dropped her off at the vet's office to be boarded until she could be put down on Tuesday. And I cried...off and on for the rest of the afternoon/evening.

Everyone kept reassuring me that the little girl would be okay. That it was only two stitches and the doctor said you would hardly be able to notice the scar at all. And I did feel so bad for her and her parents and did realize how traumatizing the whole event must have been for all three of them. I did hope that she wouldn't fear dogs from that point on, as she had been such a dog-loving little girl. But, at that moment, even though I couldn't tell any of the pre-bbq attendees, the tears were for the dog I loved and knew I would miss terribly, even though I no longer lived in the same house or the same state as her. Ashamed of my selfish tears, I was hiding in the bathroom when my grandpa knocked on the door, came in, closed the door and, with tears in his eyes, said, "I'll miss her, too." He gave me a hug, dried my tears and I headed back outside feeling the relief of knowing that he understood.

And that was my grandpa...tough-as-nails with a booming voice known to tell a dirty joke or two in his day, but a quiet, sensitive, intuitive, God-loving soul on the inside. As my relatives take comfort in the belief that he is reunited with so many other loved ones who went before him, I believe he is also scratching a few furry loved ones behind the ears and enjoying every minute of it.

I'll miss you Grandpa.

apple orchard field trip season!!

Over the past few weeks, I was lucky enough to get to chaperone on both kids' school field trips to local apple orchards. These events were exciting for the kids because they were getting to go to the orchards with their friends AND they didn't have to wear their uniforms! I never knew being out of uniform would be such a big deal for a kindergartner or a preschooler, but they are beyond excited for those rare days every few weeks.

Sam had a fun time on his field trip picking his pumpkin, going on a hayride, feeding the animals in the petting zoo, drinking cider and playing in the GIANT playground that gave his mother a near heart attack as I tried to keep track of the group I was in charge of while they ran like wild animals amongst the hundreds of school kids from various area schools that were at the orchard that day.

Grace missed out on the petting zoo on her trip since her school day is shorter so her classmates had to get back for preschool carline before lunch. She still had a great time on her hayride, drinking cider, eating doughnuts (which, at that particular orchard, were guaranteed nut-free, so we bought a couple of packages to bring home...Sam was thrilled!), picking her pumpkin and playing on the playground (which was much less frantic for mama at this orchard!).

I was happy to eat up two vacation days to go on the fall fieldtrips...LOVE time at the orchard and LOVE getting experience these trips with my kids. I figure I better take advantage of it now when they're happy I'm chaperoning instead of embarrassed that I'm there!

Sister Sister Sister

Sister Sister Sunday

I thought since I'm so diligent at keeping my own blog going (haha!), that it would be fun to contribute to another blog as well! My sisters and I are featured as guest bloggers on yesterday's Sister Sister feature over at Kuzak's Closet. Click here to check it out!

Saturday morning

Even though I'm still working part-time, the work schedule change dictated by the kids' school schedule has me, once again, working for the weekend. This past Saturday, we were happy that the kids actually had their soccer games at the same time and they weren't until mid-afternoon! That meant that we had the morning to do a little baking and lounge in our pj's watching Bindi the Jungle Girl (a new favorite in this house...love that my kids love the classic Steve Erwin clips weaved in...CRIKEY!).

I love me a stress-free morning!

my gurrls!

In the midst of the school transition, I was granted a couple of days to drop mommy duties and head to Cleveland for work. And, of course, as soon as the trip was confirmed I quickly pulled together a dinner date with my OH friends. We don't have the best track record for coordinating schedules, so I was thrilled when five out of the nine were able to make it. We celebrated Halle's birthday while enjoying Latin food, conversation, laughs and mojitos. Awesome night...love and miss you all!

bad blogger

Well, the adjustment to the new school schedule has been grueling. 5:45 am comes fast for this night-owl mama! Add that early wake-up to the worries over allergy exposures at school, worries over school behavior, lunch packing, homework helping, fundraisers, soccer practice, dance class and five additional hours of work per week and you end up with a blog that has been ignored since the first week of school. Yes, I've had a bit of a rough adjustment. Fortunately, the kids have not. They're doing great and seem to be liking school more days than dreading it, so that's a good thing. Although, they do get a HUGE smile on their face on Friday nights when I tuck them in and tell them that they can sleep in the next morning because it's the weekend! I have to admit...I do too. :) More updates to come soon...hopefully!