We're having such a GREAT time...

So everyone's here... Sister-in-Law, 'Kiki', nephew 'Kea', Sister 'Cyn', Brother-in-Law 'G-O', nephews M, J, & niece AE. It is soooooooooooo wonderful!!!
The last few days in review...We are having such a great time!
~ Friday Family got to see BooBoo and SweetPea in school. The girls were so proud to show off their school.
We got home and immediately started getting ready for the Open house I had planned for my friends to meet my family. The open house was fun and it was really nice to see my sisters interact with all my family. Everyone here has been soooo supportive and praying for my family. It was wonderful to see them together and get to meet the people they've been praying for...

~ Saturday we had to get ready to help my wonderful friend get to the airport for her move to South Africa. Unfortunately her flight to London was canceled so we had figure how to get her back there... it was very stressful for her and therefore for me too. Then off to Orlando to the hotel to meet up with Mr Safety-Man, our girls, G-O, nieces, nephews, and S-i-L Kiki whom had traveled to the hotel earlier that afternoon!! Had a GREAT ride over with just my sis and me! It was really nice to get to spend some alone time together.

~ Sunday we got up EARLY and headed to Magic Kingdom in time for the opening of the park! It was FANTASTIC and everyone worked together so well to get there on time! We had a BLAST at the park! It was a bit cold and dreary but there were ABSOLUTELY NO LINES until at least 2ish. We couldn't believe it! It was (beware some cheesiness here...) MAGICAL to watch the kiddos who have never been to Disney experience it! I cannot even begin to portray how we all felt. It was definitely a spectacular day/evening. I will have to post some photos of our day. It was just WONDERFUL. I cannot say enough of this day.

~ Sunday eve me, my sister, & her family drove home while Mr Safety Man, Aunt Kiki, her son, and my girls stayed for another day to go to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.

~ Monday we just totally CHILLED and hung out. It was great.

~ Tuesday we went to see the Manatees in the afternoon - it was AMAZING. There were EASILY 50 of them there!! And the boys REALLY got a lot out of learning about Florida's coasts and manatees. Then to Hungry Howies Buffet! (HEY! For 11 people... it was the easiest and quickest thing!) Mr Safety-Man and I got to go out that evening and finish some secret gift missions!!

~ Wednesday BooBooBear got to go with Aunt Kiki to the zoo with her cousin, while the rest of us went to the outlet mall to finish up some much needed shopping... gotta get those lists done!!!

~ And today Thursday - Sweetpea is going to the Science museum and iMax with her Aunt Kiki and cousin while we head over to Emerson Point to explore!

Every night - it's been rather late ones for me. We've watched movies, worked on projects, cleaned up, did laundry, and I try to finish presents that no one can see after everybody is asleep. I am trying desperately to finish all the handmade things I need to get done. I have to sew 2 things for 2 friends... I have 4 things to sew for my friend in Dallas. I have had to hand make 4 things for 'the sisters'. It's been rather crazy... all the while realizing I hadn't finished shopping for family afar and it's THE WEEK OF CHRISTMAS! Hellllllloooo Kymmie...procrastinate much?! Or just plain forgetful!?

So more photos to follow... but the week at a glance!!!  It's been soooooo wonderful to have everyone here... I am really getting a lot out of my family here - it means more than I can ever say.

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling...

...like a clock... tick-tocking my time to get things done... T'is the Season everybody!

I am doing  it again... I am totally just stressing myself out and getting myself all worked up... but for good reason! I can tell myself that right?! My sweet sister and her family and my sister-in-law and her son are coming THIS coming THURSDAY (six days people). It will be a very busy and chaotic time all together - but I think it will be just what we all need. I want this to be as perfect as I can make it... with all our loss and people missing this season... however... I know deep in my heart nothing will erase the sadness. I just hope I can ease it a bit and just spread love and peace. I am very excited for my family to arrive.

And to add just a little bit of pressure... my sister's birthday is Friday (day after she arrives) and I have invited all my wonderful friends here to meet the sisters and their families in an Open House!!! OH I am a glutton for punishment aren't I? But I LOVE throwing little parties and I can finally do it... physically and mentally! It's been a LONG time since I have had one here!

There's so much to do... and I am slowly working on things... I just hope I can make the deadlines... I am really pushing things...but feel like i am on a sleigh to nowhere fast...

and I am so. very. tired.

Projects, projects everywhere...

It seems that I just cannot focus and get one thing accomplished. I work on my house and sorting Grammie San's things falter, as do the many projects I want to finish to start building up some "inventory". Conversely if I work on the house I don't get things unpacked, the house/garage is still a wreck and I am no closer to setting up a studio to get projects done.

I was explaining this to two of my friends... the best I could describe it as was "the domino effect". In this house - I need to find that one domino that will start all the others to topple over. If I could just get the one task complete that would start the flow for everything else... I could get things ACCOMPLISHED in this house. Does that even make sense?

This weekend Mr Safety-Man was gone alllll weekend long. The week I had had before with behavior of my babes made me cringe at the thought of dealing with them alone this weekend... HOWEVER what a shock I received!!

We had the BEST weekend all together. And we did some fun, crafty projects together - which meant a lot to me!! We watched a movie at the theater - GIRL's NIGHT OUT, we had a double feature actually. Sweetpea got to have some quality momma/biggest girl time and we went anywhere she wanted to go! 1. Books-a-million (twist my arm... NOT!), 2. Walk around Toys 'r Us (just to look at things "to see what the little ones think is cool" she says! HA!), 3. Hancock Fabric (for material to finish making her cousins their Christmas gifts from her to them)!! She is bound and determined to make her cousins' Christmas special - even with losing their dear, sweet brother. I am SO, SO, SOoooooooooo proud of her. And today both girls worked on sewing projects!! We had dueling sewing machines going!!!

The projects that are a result are: Sweetpea - a cool stuffed animal lizard with crazy button eyes (her OWN design and pattern, sewing etc...), a polar fleeced with puppy dogs on it - guitar shaped pillow (complete with pocket and strap to hold on your back (all her own design/pattern), and soon to make a square pillow with giraffe print. BooBooBear - a pink fabric with kitties on it - made in to a cat's face for a pillow. Such wonderful imaginations! I am so pleased with how everything turned out. I loved doing the teaching and helping on the projects, I loved spending time with both my girls, I loved how they were thirsty with knowledge on how to sew
(machine and hand), how to pick out fabric and for what (loved watching BBB rubbing fabric over her face to ensure it was comfey to lie upon), loved seeing their creative juices just boil over with what they wanted to do for each part.

So all the mundane, boring projects didn't get touched (well except MOUNDS of laundry) nor did my fun projects that I wanted to work on. But spending fun time, quality time, IMPORTANT time doing my girls' projects with them... now that was where I needed to be. It was necessary. It was gratifying and it filled me up.

Proud Momma project photos to follow soon!!!