The Count

This one is for Granny. She sent the kids these really nice capes for Christmas, and this is Ethan using his. So cute! Haven was trying hers on today too. It's more in the style of Little Red Riding Hood, so she was contemplating forming a band called "Little Red." I love my kids!

School Pictures

Ethan had school pictures taken on Wednesday and we got them today! That was so fast! I'm happy with them this year! Most of the time they don't let the kids open their mouths to smile, but I told Ethan, just tell them your mamma wants to see your teeth! Haha! Imagine me saying it with a Texas drawl... cuz that's what it sounded like! :) Without further ado... the boy!

I LOVE that crooked little smile! It looks just like mine!

He looks so much older than 5!

And this is Ethan's class. The kids are from Germany, Turkey, and two of them from the US. There are three total classes in the building. Ethan is in the same class (same teachers) that Haven had when she was in this kindergarten.

Tutorial - Making a Repeating Pattern

I made a tutorial for anyone interested in how I made the roses pattern.

Check it out at KD Designs.

Making Repeating Patterns

This may not seem that exciting, but it is to me! Corinnea keeps saying I need to try to print some fabric but the difference is with fabric you have to have a perfect repeating pattern. With scrapbook paper you don't. So I had a flash, a lightbulb moment, the other day where I realized how to make repeating patterns very easily. I have to admit, once I figured it out I felt pretty silly for not figuring it out earlier! Basically, I create the shape on one side, copy it, move it an exact distance from the first one (that depends on the repeat size) and then group them. Then no matter where I move them on the edge they make a perfect join. That may not make sense.... Just know that this is a huge deal for me because this was the obstacle I needed to get past to make patterns I might feel like printing on fabric!!

Coffee coffee coffee

I made it a week without coffee! Ok, that's a half truth. I did have two decafs. But that doesn't really count right? I know you all wish there were pictures of my amazingly cute kids here, but they are still on my camera, waiting to be downloaded. Instead you get this graphic from the graphics fairy website that is only funny to my family because they all know my maiden name is Younger! :) It would be even FUNNIER if it was Younger's TEXAS pride!


News of the day: Haven got her bottom retainer, I taught Photoshop to teenagers today and it was fun, Ethan thought it was hilarious to pretend he was going to wear his spongebob house shoes (big yellow square house shoes) to school, and Rob and I watched a movie today called House Bunny, which was pretty funny. Sometimes it's those simple pleasures (like maniacal laughing 5 year olds with big yellow slippers) that make life good! :)

Kicking the habit

I decided that needing four espressos to get through a day was probably an indication that I might have a problem. Cory told Corinnea that they needed to have an intervention, which she found extremely amusing since she is just as addicted as me! Haha! Well, I decided to give up coffee until after Easter for a quick detox. It's going to be a long week....

Can't Stop Blogging

Well, you know the old saying, "be careful what you wish for!" I haven't blogged for a month, and now I can't stop! Here's some things I found while sorting through photos that I haven't shown yet.

Our division is creating a multi-purpose cafe out at Robinson Barracks that will have a coffee shop during the day and then host classes and parties after hours. One of our responsibilities will be to teach classes out there. First though, we have to get this place ready to open. The space we have started out as a theater lobby, so those doors you see below are to the theater. I took photos of the place and did some computer mock-ups of what would look cool in there. We had many debates of colors, and finally chose some. I took inspiration for the designs from a lot of coffee houses whose photos I found online.

The team spent one day getting the main paint on the walls, then a couple of people worked on the trims and small sections. Last week Corinnea and I went out to do the graphics. Praise God for Corinnea because without her help I would have been alone and would not have finished in one day. Well, it's not completely finished, but all that's left is the stems of some small trees. But anyway... here's one set of before and after pics. There will be more when it's completely finished.

This is a nice little sampling. Corinnea did the awesome coffee bean "trees" on the right and part of the graphics on the left. I did the big blocks of color (there is more that is not visible in the photo) and the leaf. I won't say it was fun, but I will say I think we did a darn good job!

Here's Haven getting that retainer I mentioned. This one is not a pretty site. Haven might have said something like if I post this picture I'm the worst mother ever. I don't think she actually meant it! :) Actually, she said I could post it IF I put a disclaimer in that she protested! Hahaha!

Here's the boy beating the Pastor at fussball! Hahaha! Ok, he didn't actually win, but let me tell you, this little boy is serious about fussball! He can barely see over the table, and I'm terrified that he'll get hit in the face one day, but he is GOOD at that game! Well, for a five year old, I guess... but he can beat me! (although, that's not saying too much...)

And because I know I will need LOTS AND LOTS of blackmail for the boy when he becomes a teenager, here's another video of Ethan dancing. This is him following the instructions on TV to some cartoon. It's dark because it's at night, and it's shaky because I was trying to hold in my laughter. I won't think less of you if you don't watch it all the way to the end, but it's worth a few seconds of giggling!