FFF-A Bit of This & That

Don't know this week's FFF theme so you are getting an eclectic grouping of photos that cover this past CRAZY week! While I would NOT like to relive this week it has been for the better. Some festering problems ruptured which were painful but as in all wound healing...each passing day resulted in progressive healing! Mari made it through her first week at the new school in fine form. The educational aspects are drastically IMPROVED!!!However, the difference in language/behavior at the new public school from the old private school is not to my liking!! Since the new school was just coming back from spring break the day Mari started, they rearranged their desk configurations(pods) and the boy given the honor of choosing the 'theme' for the new pod names chose BODILY FLUIDS!!!! So Mari is now a member of the SNOTS pod...ugh!!! No fifth grade boy at her old school would have dreamed of offering that theme for fear of punishment and no teacher at her old school would have let that fly. Trying to think on the positive side....hmmm.....it allows the freedom for individual expression????? The new school had a Family Night at the local roller rink and it was a great way to meet the new classmates and their families in a casual/social setting. This would be Mari with her new teacher, who can rollerblade like a PRO! Saw him in action and am SOLD as he spent a great deal of his night supporting one of the classmates with Cerebral Palsy as he tried to skate. As expected he was also the 'fun' teacher who played tag with the fifth graders.

The two snow storms were unable to stop spring!! This is our first daffodil which finally bloomed on Wednesday.

We are joining a lot of Americans who are planting a vegetable garden this year. The early cabbage has sprouted and we hope to be frost free soon so they can get into the ground safely. The girls also chose tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, and radishes to join the cabbage. Keeping it limited this year since I am an URBAN girl and my farm boy husband hasn't played in the dirt for 30+years. The gang are joining us in Grandma's backyard to make it a true "family" garden and the location was chosen to allow Grandma an opportunity to sit out on her back porch and watch her grandchildren at work....and there are no swing sets or basketball courts in Grandma's yard to get in the way!!!

The weather is improving slowly. Julia loves the fact that she is getting playground time everyday while waiting for Mari's school to let out....1/2 hour difference between Julia's dismissal and Mari's. Mom loves the fact that our muffin tops from a long winter of couch sitting are going to get a work out!

She's determined to conquer these Monkey Bars and has the blisters to prove it! Soccer has been postponed another week because our fields are still soggy from the melting snow.

I meant for this picture to come after the next but someday I may figure out this virtual machine's quirks. This is Mari with a few of her new classmates at the roller skating party. Relieved to see she's so resilient and that another rerooting holds the promise of being successful.

Meant to post this first! Trying not to be the embarrassing type of Mom I snuck this shot from across the room! Unfortunately I still don't have control of my camera so I did end up walking over and asking them to pose for the one above :)

Traditional picture in our house....First Day of School....in the snow????? Well I guess there's a first for everything! She's LOVING the freedom to wear jeans and gym shoes. Wonder how she's going to feel when I make her start helping with the laundry because of the increase resulting from this new wardrobe change?!?!?

Squeezed out some time to make this little custom order! It had been laying on the machine in pieces for a couple of weeks as we tried to get our life back in the groove but it's now on it's way to the little ladybug who wants her birthday pictures done in her favorite animal.

Here's a shot of the back. I've opened an Etsy shop but after several hours trying to get pictures to load I stopped in frustration!!!!! The site has a size limit for the loaded photos and I have no idea how to make my digital photos have a smaller 'file size'?????? I so wanted to have it up and running this week so I could put a link on the sidebar here to make it easier for those interested in my outfits to see what I had to offer and the prices. It just KILLS me to think I may have to hire another geek to get this as well as my other sewing blog up and running since the whole purpose of this sewing is to raise money for the girls' birth families in Guatemala!! Willing to to a barter for any of my blog readers with tech. skills!!! Anyone like the idea of having some cutified denim in return for their geek skills??