feeling pulled

From the moment the kids are in bed, (babies at 7:30pm & bigger kids at 8:30pm) I am wondering what I should do with myself...  now, more than ever, I feel like there just isn't time in a day to pursue the projects or read the books I'd like to during the kids' waking hours.  So once those precious heads hit those pillows, my mind races with possibilities.  Should I read, be crafty, organize something, watch a movie or just hang out with Jeremy, or blog while drinking a nice cup of tea?  Here is the current list of things that pull me each and every night.  And most nights I'm too worn out to do any of them!

But nevertheless, here's the list:

Let's start with those books I've got bookmarks in...

 I don't normally take time for fiction,  because I always feel like I need to be learning something and fiction seems like a waste of time spent sitting to me... BUT I do want to finish The Help before I see the movie.  Even if it's when it's released on DVD in a few months. 

  I have the highlighter at hand at all times with this one.  It's a keeper.  It is an encouraging read as we get ready to begin another year of homeschooling. 

This one is currently loaned out to a buddy, but it is my new textbook for life in this season other than The Bible itself.   And I have plenty left to read and soak in when it returns. 

This book by my favorite teacher and speaker, Priscilla Shirer, is our current book club read.   I just got it in the mail today and am so excited to get into it. 

Since we don't have TV,  (we have a TV and DVD player, but no stations) some nights Jeremy and I will watch a movie that we own, or we'll rent one for super cheap... and that is really one of my favorite things to do.  But I haven't been able to figure out why I've had such a hard time sitting and watching a movie lately... and I just figured it out.  I haven't been able to sit for very long during the day, if at all, since Levi joined our family two months ago, and I think that sitting for the length of a movie seems so unnatural to me now and is hard for me to do without also "doing" something while I'm watching.  Crazy?  I think so.  But getting back to the feeling pulled idea... I have two movies sitting down by the TV, waiting for me to watch them. 

Great movie, happy to see it again!

Admittedly, I love a good Hallmark Hall of Fame flick.  

This one is due back Thursday, ack!

** update ** The fact a movie is in the Hallmark section at Blockbuster, doesn't make it a good Hallmark.  I found that out yesterday.  Lame one, I don't recommend.  :)  

Two other things pull at me each night...  

credit 

Sewing projects!  I have a smallish project I'm getting ready to start and I picked out some bright, fabulous fabric that I'll share later...  I'm chomping at the bit to get started, but am seriously unmotivated by the time 8:30pm rolls around.  As a side note, the above photo displays a few Amy Butler prints... aren't they beautiful?  I've made a diaper bag and throw pillows out of her fabrics so far and love her designs.  And be still my heart, she even designs wallpaper.  Sigh.   

The two fabrics in the top right corner (below) are the ones I chose for Gabi's diaper bag that I made last year.  I'll never grow tired of it. 

I know I have now gone on a major tangent... but can you even get enough of these fabrics? 

Okay, okay...  

The last thing that pulls at me right now as we're gearing up for a new school year (we start in a week and a half) is a bit of lesson planning.   Nothing intense, just planning out at least a months worth of weeks with the kids.  We're doing things a bit differently this year and in the end, I think it'll be less stress and more enjoying each other.  But here's the place I'm writing down these plans:  

Ordered from:  http://www.wellplannedday.com/

I bought the boys the Student Planner version of this, so they'll have all of their independent assignments in one place... I'm thinking that will work well for all of us.  

 Obviously, you can tell what I chose to do tonight...

BLOG!

I really love to blog, it's a release of all of those pent up ideas and thoughts that you would want to tell a girlfriend or a group of them.  

But what you can't tell from this post, is that before I sat down to write this, I painted an old desk I scored at a garage sale that I've been fixing up for my new office nook in our family room.  (Jeremy has helped me a bunch.. more to come on that soon!)  I love to turn someone's junk into a very useful and cute treasure.  

And as a parting note tonight, I couldn't let you go without seeing another photo of Amy Butler fabric.  You have no choice but to look at it and drool with me.  You're not drooling?  Shame, shame, shame.