A year in review

Wow – what a year!  I had to stop blogging last year mostly because I found the purpose of it all confusing.  I had a hard time balancing work-related promotion with my own desire to chronicle my life.  I really don’t like self-promotion.  I’ve never been comfortable with it.  So I’m blogging again… just for me.

Here’s a rundown of what has happened in the last year:

We had an absolutely amazing Christmas.  We welcomed Charlie and Lucy, a couple of Chihuahua / Terrier mixes, into our family. I spent much of the season in typical chaos, painting and decorating a 30 year old wooden dollhouse for the girls.

In Feb / March, a business opportunity kind of came out of no where.  Kind of one of those long-shot, pie in the sky deals that I knew we had to work our hardest on but didn’t really think it would go through.  I was dead wrong… It did go through!  It’s taken over 7 months and included many long weekends and late nights – but worth every second.  I learned soooo much!  God provides in the most amazing ways.  Polka Dot Potato now has over 40 photo templates on Costco.com. So, if you need a holiday card, birthday invitation or anything else, go to Costco.com and get it there!  And, if you don’t have a membership to Costco, get one.  That place ROCKS!  We LOVE it!

I nearly had a nervous breakdown in the Spring trying to balance Polka Dot Potato, web design business, the Women’s retreat at church and the MST yearbook.  I got through it…barely.  After that near hospital experience, I started making some changes. I began taking things off of my plate and got my house in order thank to Fly Lady. (I’ve since fallen off the wagon… but working my way back on)

In June, an opportunity came out of the blue that I couldn’t say ‘no’ to.  Our family has been going to Woodcreek Church for 6 years now.  We absolutely love it.  Woodcreek Church has been instrumental in helping us grow in our knowledge and love of Christ.  Well, they asked me to take a part-time position to handle some of the print and digital media of our growing church.  I could see God’s hand in all of, especially looking back at the Spring when I began to remove things from my plate for the Fall.  It all made sense.  It’s a super flexible position and the work is fun – it totally fills my cup!

July was fun and exhausting.  Let’s see…. Ben and Nolen went to Arizona on a mission trip, both girls had 2 weeks of swim lessons… and then the usual house stuff and Polka Dot Potato promotions… it was plenty full.

August was a blur.  Nolen started Junior High, Ella started Kindergarten and now we are in the full swing of life with a schedule that I am seriously not used to at all.  We start way early.  I try my best to get up at 5 am every day so I can get the house stuff started, lunches made and everyone in the car on time. Nolen has “zero” hour Robotics which mean he starts school before school starts, like the school zone lights aren’t even blinking yet!  Then we go to my mom’s house and from there, I walk Ella to school. We usually have a “porch party” for about 30 minutes where I gulp down more coffee and talk smack with my mom and my friend, Tracy – we’ve been friends since the 4th grade!  Good times…

For Labor Day, we managed to take a very short trip to Rockport, TX. It was Nolen’s 13th birthday and he took a friend.  The kids had a blast.

There are so many precious moments right now.  I can’t wait to start writing them down again!

A few days off

I’ve managed to take a couple of days off…kind of. Sunday and Monday were consumed with taxes. I am so lame. I put off turning everything in until the very last second. It’s such a terrible habit. My brain hurt so badly by the time I was done.

Yesterday, we headed to the fair. It was $3 Dr. Pepper Tuesday and the rides were discounted too. We blew $200 on our day of fun…which I can only justify with the fact that we didn’t have a summer vacation. We did more games and rides than ever before and really just lived it up! We all agree that it was our very best time ever at the fair.

We took Nolen’s friend, Abby, with us. As he puts it, if there were a girl he liked, this would be the one. 🙂

My dad, mom, step-dad, brother and nephew were all at fair at some point so we got to see lots of family.

I love the fair. I can’t even explain my deep love for it all. The food, the people watching, the corny dogs and cotton candy…the trashiness of it all! I’m sure my adoration for the tradition of the fair dates back to my childhood, and I have no doubt that I’m instilling that same love in my kids.







Apparently Ella over did it at the fair. At 2 am I was awoken with the horrible gagging sound of throw up. She threw up right on Gracie’s bare belly. And then Gracie rolled over on top of it. I gave the girls a bath and put clean sheets on the bed. Then Ella threw up again, this time, sparing Gracie. She threw up for the last time at 4 am. It was a rough night. I stressed myself out so much with the thought of her having a virus that I gave myself a splitting headache. But she woke up happy and healthy…and hungry so all is okay.

This afternoon, I took the girls to a kid’s art place called Pee Wee Picasso. They had a little toddler time where the girls heard a story and then did a little art project. It was a nice little adventure for a Wednesday afternoon.



Tomorrow is back to the grind. I’m to the point that I have so many projects in mid stage that I want pull the covers over my head. Does being stuck in a hospital bed ever sound good to you? It does to me. That’s where I’m at.

Hopefully I’ll actually finish a few things tomorrow and Friday. We’ll see!

A few days off

I’ve managed to take a couple of days off…kind of. Sunday and Monday were consumed with taxes. I am so lame. I put off turning everything in until the very last second. It’s such a terrible habit. My brain hurt so badly by the time I was done.

Yesterday, we headed to the fair. It was $3 Dr. Pepper Tuesday and the rides were discounted too. We blew $200 on our day of fun…which I can only justify with the fact that we didn’t have a summer vacation. We did more games and rides than ever before and really just lived it up! We all agree that it was our very best time ever at the fair.

We took Nolen’s friend, Abby, with us while her mom was in day surgery.

My dad, mom, step-dad, brother and nephew were all at fair at some point so we got to see lots of family.

I love the fair. I can’t even explain my deep love for it all. The food, the people watching, the corny dogs and cotton candy…the trashiness of it all! I’m sure my adoration for the tradition of the fair dates back to my childhood, and I have no doubt that I’m instilling that same love in my kids.







Apparently Ella over did it at the fair. At 2 am I was awoken with the horrible gagging sound of throw up. She threw up right on Gracie’s bare belly. And then Gracie rolled over on top of it. I gave the girls a bath and put clean sheets on the bed. Then Ella threw up again, this time, sparing Gracie. She threw up for the last time at 4 am. It was a rough night. I stressed myself out so much with the thought of her having a virus that I gave myself a splitting headache. But she woke up happy and healthy…and hungry so all is okay.

This afternoon, I took the girls to a kid’s art place called Pee Wee Picasso. They had a little toddler time where the girls heard a story and then did a little art project. It was a nice little adventure for a Wednesday afternoon.



Tomorrow is back to the grind. I’m to the point that I have so many projects in mid stage that I want pull the covers over my head. Does being stuck in a hospital bed ever sound good to you? It does to me. That’s where I’m at.

Hopefully I’ll actually finish a few things tomorrow and Friday. We’ll see!

The hilarious things they say.

I love it when the kids say funny things. I wish I had kept better track of the things Nolen had said. With the girls, Ben and I will email the funny things to each other and then file the emails in an “ism” folder.

Nolen was always the most delightful child. Strangers would walk up to him and say “how are you?” and he would always answer with an enthusiastic “great!” or, better yet… “perfect!” People would always be caught off guard with his positive answers.

My girls, on the other hand, just give people dirty looks.

My favorite Nolen-ism was when he would sing “you are my sunshine”..

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy,
You guys are great!
(instead of ‘when skies are gray’)

The other day I was at Sonic with the girls to get grilled cheese sandwiches. Gracie demanded a boycheese sandwich. Not understanding exactly what she said, I just replied, “Yes, sweetheart, I’ll get you a grilled cheese sandwich”. “No, Mommy! I don’t want a “Girl” cheese sandwich, I want “Boy” cheese sandwich!!

Tonight, Nolen and I laughed ourselves sick with the latest “Ella-ism”. Ella is forever hungry, well… claims to be, anyway. She could eat her weight in ding dongs and chips quite easily. Dead serious, every other sentence out of the child’s mouth is “Mommy, can I have… {fill in whatever the most unhealthy food I currently have in the house}.

So tonight, Ella proudly announces she has learned a new verse at school…

“The Lord is my chef, I shall not want”.

Love it!

The hilarious things they say.

I love it when the kids say funny things. I wish I had kept better track of the things Nolen had said. With the girls, Ben and I will email the funny things to each other and then file the emails in an “ism” folder.

Nolen was always the most delightful child. Strangers would walk up to him and say “how are you?” and he would always answer with an enthusiastic “great!” or, better yet… “perfect!” People would always be caught off guard with his positive answers.

My girls, on the other hand, just give people dirty looks.

My favorite Nolen-ism was when he would sing “you are my sunshine”..

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy,
You guys are great!
(instead of ‘when skies are gray’)

The other day I was at Sonic with the girls to get grilled cheese sandwiches. Gracie demanded a boycheese sandwich. Not understanding exactly what she said, I just replied, “Yes, sweetheart, I’ll get you a grilled cheese sandwich”. “No, Mommy! I don’t want a “Girl” cheese sandwich, I want “Boy” cheese sandwich!!

Tonight, Nolen and I laughed ourselves sick with the latest “Ella-ism”. Ella is forever hungry, well… claims to be, anyway. She could eat her weight in ding dongs and chips quite easily. Dead serious, every other sentence out of the child’s mouth is “Mommy, can I have… {fill in whatever the most unhealthy food I currently have in the house}.

So tonight, Ella proudly announces she has learned a new verse at school…

“The Lord is my chef, I shall not want”.

Love it!

September

Has it really been a month? Where did the time go?

Life is in full swing! Between my mom and Mother’s Day Out, I theoretically have 18 hours of child-free work hours every week… not that it always turns out that way. Unfortunately it’s still not enough to feel caught up. Between awesome business opportunities and projects that keep popping up and my love for PTA and church volunteer work, I’m pretty darn busy. But, I really do love it.

Nolen and Gracie celebrated their birthdays this month. We are going to have Nolen’s party in October but we still made it a special day for him. I decorated his locker and took Taco Bueno to him for lunch. It was a total blast.


Gracie doesn’t have a party scheduled… but I’m hoping I’ll still pull something together. We still had a special day on her birthday. She and I went to Build-a-Bear…alone…and spent some quality time at Firewheel Mall. In July, Gracie got a bear she named Moonie. Moonie was a girl when we bought her but a boy when she came home. And then Moonie went missing… (obviously he/she had issues so I can only assume she ran away to find her/himself.) So, Gracie was hellbent on buying another Moonie. This time Moonie started out as a boy, and is still a boy as far as I can tell.



Something fun – I created a Free with $5 purchase template this morning! Just spend $5 at Polka Dot Potato and it will be automatically added to your shopping cart! Enjoy!

I’ve received some emails about classes. I will start them up again pretty soon – just have to get a few big projects under control and I will schedule some. You can catch me at Gotta Scrap too! I’ll work on some templates for those book covers – I should have thought before now.

September

Has it really been a month? Where did the time go?

Life is in full swing! Between my mom and Mother’s Day Out, I theoretically have 18 hours of child-free work hours every week… not that it always turns out that way. Unfortunately it’s still not enough to feel caught up. Between awesome business opportunities and projects that keep popping up and my love for PTA and church volunteer work, I’m pretty darn busy. But, I really do love it.

Nolen and Gracie celebrated their birthdays this month. We are going to have Nolen’s party in October but we still made it a special day for him. I decorated his locker and took Taco Bueno to him for lunch. It was a total blast.


Gracie doesn’t have a party scheduled… but I’m hoping I’ll still pull something together. We still had a special day on her birthday. She and I went to Build-a-Bear…alone…and spent some quality time at Firewheel Mall. In July, Gracie got a bear she named Moonie. Moonie was a girl when we bought her but a boy when she came home. And then Moonie went missing… (obviously he/she had issues so I can only assume she ran away to find her/himself.) So, Gracie was hellbent on buying another Moonie. This time Moonie started out as a boy, and is still a boy as far as I can tell.



Something fun – I created a Free with $5 purchase template this morning! Just spend $5 at Polka Dot Potato and it will be automatically added to your shopping cart! Enjoy!

I’ve received some emails about classes. I will start them up again pretty soon – just have to get a few big projects under control and I will schedule some. You can catch me at Gotta Scrap too! I’ll work on some templates for those book covers – I should have thought before now.

Where do I begin…

Here’s my triumphant return to the world of blogging…

Summer is done. It was fairly uneventful. We managed to tackle some major home improvement projects, including sodding the backyard, painting the hall, stripping the bathroom wallpaper, painting, etc. I still need to add some finishing touches, but signs of the 70’s & 80’s in this house are almost gone.

So now that we’re all caught up, let’s talk about last night.

Nolen’s assignment last night was to cover his books. I’m notorious for hijacking projects like this… Nolen has been known to hide projects from me so that I wouldn’t get involved and make things ten times more complicated than they needed to be. When he told me his homework assignment, he could see the pure elation in my face. The poor thing preemptively looked at me “mom, I just want normal book covers”. Ugh…normal. I tried. I swear it! Staples was all out of covers but Target had some, and on sale, only they wouldn’t fit the books and we nearly busted the books trying to cover them.

Plan B. Mom gets her way. The next 2 1/2 hours were dedicated to creating 12″ x 24″ digital prints and using them as book covers. Cute, huh?

In other news, Ella can’t wait to be a mommy with “big boobs”.

Where do I begin…

Here’s my triumphant return to the world of blogging…

Summer is done. It was fairly uneventful. We managed to tackle some major home improvement projects, including sodding the backyard, painting the hall, stripping the bathroom wallpaper, painting, etc. I still need to add some finishing touches, but signs of the 70’s & 80’s in this house are almost gone.

So now that we’re all caught up, let’s talk about last night.

Nolen’s assignment last night was to cover his books. I’m notorious for hijacking projects like this… Nolen has been known to hide projects from me so that I wouldn’t get involved and make things ten times more complicated than they needed to be. When he told me his homework assignment, he could see the pure elation in my face. The poor thing preemptively looked at me “mom, I just want normal book covers”. Ugh…normal. I tried. I swear it! Staples was all out of covers but Target had some, and on sale, only they wouldn’t fit the books and we nearly busted the books trying to cover them.

Plan B. Mom gets her way. The next 2 1/2 hours were dedicated to creating 12″ x 24″ digital prints and using them as book covers. Cute, huh?

In other news, Ella can’t wait to be a mommy with “big boobs”.