Us-Made

This week has been great. I love this feeling of this goodness. In fact, when I talk on the phone with my relatives I've got nothing to say or whine about it's all going so great. Makes me feel like something big and horrible is liable to come up, because you know how you have to have your turn every once in a while...

But for right now, my little family is awesome. The boys and I have a routine. That's how my days go faster, and how discipline is learned. The weather is great--I am loving this weather and I'm so grateful for it because come July & August, I WILL NOT be this happy!  

School for Andrew is also great, even the little one is learning from just being around us while doing school! It's amazing and surprising to hear him say his letters and know all of his shapes/colors without me even teaching him one-on-one. I tell ya, life's pretty sweet right now :) My tank is full. Thank you, God.

My allergies have been killing me though...that's about as sick as this family gets---UGH allergies! 

But you wouldn't even believe what made my day the other day---my Calla Lilies came up!!! 

These are SO special to me because they were Mother's Day / Anniversary gifts from my amazing husband and they ended up dying when we moved to this place last summer (shown below, top right).

Anyway, I was EVER so excited and EVER so frickin' excited because I just knew they were coming back {I apparently don't know anything about flowers} and guess what, they did! I don't know if you've ever grown anything, but it's pretty rewarding to know things grow out of the ground that were planted by your hand. At least it is to me. 

My poor little garden though, it has rained and been really cold down here in the coast of this great state, and the combination of too much water / not enough sun is not a good thing on this raised little garden :( we will see what comes out of it. Every morning, I peek out the window to see how my little garden is doing...kinda like I peek in the boys room to see how they're laying in their beds...just to make sure they're ok. 

The garden and my potted flowers are like my fourth child {third child are my 2 cats, HA!}...I love them to death and it makes me sad they're not getting enough sunlight!  

You wanna know what's been going on around this house this past week?? Paper. 

And lots of it. The Mr. has totally taken on this hobby and I could NOT BE more prouder, if not the proudest, wife of a paper maker. I love that he gets artsy like that!!! 

But you know what I'm not a fan of? 

the lack of space in this tiny 2 / 2 house. Seriously, this kitchen / dining area is as big as a big city apartment. The Mr. has to take his assembly line outside in our garden-crowded back patio! For goodness sakes, we need a somethin' to remedy this...because I can't take it anymore. I might have to research shops / sheds to use as studio space around here! 

So the Mr. makes paper, and I make art ON the paper. Ohh, his stacks of paper are so nice. He keeps getting better and better at it...it's a craft. I am doing a little stamp carving / lithography on the side too.

And I'm stepping back into serigrafia {screen-printing} again, after about 6 years...I seriously love it. 

My dad used to have a business in it, I went to Art Camp for it, I worked at a shop that did it...I mean, it's always been part of me and I LOVE IT. I think it's my favorite medium :) 

My etsy store would fill up faster though if I could just sit down and actually work!!! Two little {homeschooled} boys + meals + house maintenance + hungry husband really take up all my time! 

This is actually my first screen print since 2005 :) + I printed on home-made paper.

AND I'm listing it on my etsy soon

{thinking about doing a giveaway of the image below, but would like input on it first, so let me know!!!}

Also crafty me has been doing all this below: PHOTO PROPS

again, for my cousin's wedding a couple of weekends ago!

This flower head crown thingy is still my favorite! I invented the finger uni-brow and posted it on 

my Instagram @sanlynet {psst, follow me}

And I keep saying to myself how I don't need to snap any more pictures of them doing school, because I just don't want to overwhelm you with those kinds of pictures, but I think the concentration on their faces, the way their eyes just focus, is so incredible to me. I was once 4, I once sat in a chair and had to do the same things. I don't have pictures of that. I don't remember those times. 

But I wish I could. So here, Andrew and Jonah. Have some photographic memories. 

You were amazing little boys. And I am glad I took your pictures. 

Sun light + cat hair + school work + little toes + coffee = it is the life! 

You guys! Thanks for sticking round til the end! I love yall and want to wish you all a happy weekend!