living the GOOD life

Kid Update

I have some apologies to make. To my dad, my mom and my in-laws, first of all. My blog may have been overrun lately with projects and hobbies, which leaves little room for your favorite subjects: the kids. Hopefully with the creation of my photo blog, I will be able to return this blog to it's original purpose.

Summer is in full swing here. That means dirty faces and feet, wet swimsuits left dripping on the mudroom floor, lots of corn on the cob and a little Mario Kart thrown in. Of course the kids are waking up earlier than usual, but on the plus side they are crashing at bedtime, usually asleep before their head hits the pillow.

Daniel started piano lessons last week. He definitely has an ear for music, and really enjoys playing. If he had his choice he would live at the pool. He finished his first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, and has started on the second. He is really an amazing reader. He has also discovered the internet, and wants to go to every website he sees advertised. He had his first cavity filled the other day, and was so brave. I almost wish it had been just a tad more traumatic for him so he would have more incentive to not get another!

Emily insists she is done with dance, and would like to play soccer. She wants so badly to do everything Daniel does. She will ask anyone who will listen to play barbies with her, and has become just a tad more girly. We are working on learning her letters, and she has become quite good at drawing "mommy horses and baby horses". She is having a bit of a hard time fitting in with the girls in our ward, and I am praying she will find a good friend soon. There are now 4 or 5 girls her age in our ward, so hopefully she will find a good fit.

Jacob talks a mile a minute, and moves even faster. He is always bouncing off the walls. His favorite thing to say is, "Is that silly?" which he asks after almost everything he does. He loves to be babied when he gets hurt, and loves to have me rock him and kiss him all over. Such a contrast to his usual toughness. He loves super heroes and spends most days pretending to be superman or batman. He is also surprisingly good at sports!

Benson is walking! Well, sort of. He definitely prefers to crawl. But if we coax him enough he will take a step or two. He now has 5 teeth, which are coming in in a very weird order. Not really talking yet, just yelling at us. His hair has gotten SO curly and blond! He looks so much like Daniel did at that age. We are a little worried about some of his behaviors, and of course autism is never far from our thoughts. But we will be able to tell more in another 6 months or so. He loves cars, and he loves his stuffed tigger, and anything anyone else is playing with.

Kevin would like me to warn you that there is a picture of a naked baby below. Just so you know, if you need to ask your kids to leave the room or something.

Now I know you aren't as interested in Kevin and I, but Kevin is doing extrememly well in his new position. He has raised his department's profits by a substantial amount, and his management style has everyone wanting to transfer to the deli. I am so proud of him. It seems like he became a businessman when I wasn't looking! He has been released from YM's, and is quite sad about it. So sad, infact, that he has continued to go to mutual and teach lessons until they can call another 1st counsellor.(EDIT: Kevin must have begged the Bishop to keep him in YM's because he just got called as YM's Secretary, which totally seems like a made up position, since I know they haven't had it for the past year. But I guess his tears convinced the bishop to let him stay.)

Everyone who reads this blog pretty much knows what I've been up to! I am getting a little worn out though and have decided I really need to prioritize. My family and duties at home need to come first. Right now my passions are with photography and I hope to fill up my spare time learning more about it. But I can't seem to pass up an opportunity to learn a new hobby or try a new craft, and I still have stacks and stacks of books to read. So I don't envision myself being bored in the near future. I don't know how I ever had time to watch TV!

So that's life right now. Even with the stress that comes with it, it's still pretty wonderful.

First Steps

All my boys are late walkers; Ben is no exception. He has just started taking his first steps, usually with the aid of this little toy.

I cannot wait for walking to become his default. I am tired of the dirty knees, scraped up toes and constant need to be carried. But I still feel that little tinge of sadness when I realize my last baby will be walking.

{GOOD} Photography

It's been a dream of mine for years to be a "real" photographer. But I've always put it off, telling myself I still had so much to learn. While that may be true, the best way to learn is practice, right?

I have decided to offer promotional photo sessions for $50. A session would be 60-90 minutes, and include a CD with 25-35 edited images.

I have also started a separate blog specifically for my photography. You can view it here, or click on the link in my sidebar.

I am so excited about this! Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to book a session at kasigood@yahoo.com

This and That Shop Update

 

I have been trying to make things that I can use if they don't sell! LOL. So most of the clothes fit Emily, although the third skirt is too small for her (oops!) I have a couple other projects in mind, but right now I am WORN OUT, so it may be awhile before I get to them.

Happy 4th of July

Now get off the internet and go enjoy food, fireworks, friends and family.

This and That

Well, I did it! I opened an Etsy shop! You can see it here. I am so nervous about it I feel like throwing up. I really have no idea what I am doing. But hopefully I'll figure it out. And Kevin keeps telling me I'll never know unless I try. I don't have much in there yet. Hopefully I will get more as time goes on.

In my garage I have this lovely rocking chair that I hope to get listed soon too. Don't judge it by it's current ugliness. I've sanded it, but that's about all the attention I've given it so far.

I am thinking cream. What do you think?

Some of my favorite pictures are of him crying. What does that say about me?

Lifetime

Remember this post? Well, I received an email from Lifetime about it, and they just posted it to their blog! They have lots of other great ideas on there too. We currently have four (!) Lifetime tables (and one on the way, courtesy of Lifetime!) and I use them non-stop for crafts, painting, outdoor parties, puzzles, etc. 

Anyway, you can see it here.

Etsy?

Okay, soooooo I think I would like to open an Etsy shop. I know what you're thinking, what would I sell?

Well, I am thinking these:

and maybe this:

and for local buyers things like this:


and this:




And perhaps eventually I could sell a couple of photographs. Or maybe a font or two? (Can you tell I'm just grasping at straws here?)

I was also thinking if all else fails I could always sell these:



HAHA! Just kidding. I don't know how to make those :)

So, I know it's a pretty random mix of stuff, but as we know I am a pretty random person, right? But is it too random? Everyone who has sold on Etsy, give me your advice. I am really quite nervous about this, to tell you the truth. But I convinced Kevin to buy me a new sander last night and he said I have to earn enough money to pay for it. Plus he said that the rocking chair, desk, table, frame and shelf I bought at Goodwill last night can't stay in our house so I have to sell them (by the way, I only paid 20 bucks for all that!)

However, I can envision setting up my shop and going months without a sale until eventually my mom buys something just to make me feel better, even though I know she's in no need of a homemade tampon. Or my grandma in Utah will buy a chair and just tell me get it to her when I can, knowing full well I never will.

So, I need your input. What do you think? HONESTLY. I need to earn money somehow, because I am thinking we need to pad our savings account since the dentist told me all our kids are going to need braces. Plus, when I see a good deal at Goodwill I am absolutely unable to pass it up, and our house can only hold so much stuff before it explodes. But if you think I am more suited to earning money by, say, donating plasma, please don't hesitate to say so.

Sunday drive