sunday swimming

On Sunday afternoons when we have the opportunity we like to go swimming. Actually I should rephrase that T & J like to go swimming. B and I go when we can. I can't stand up near the dock so I am a bit reticent to go into the water with a clinging child. However, some friends of ours brought down some inner tubes for us to use and it has increased my exposure to the water. My husband and my business partner like to say that I am afraid of the water, but I am not afraid of it. It is just a lot of work when you are my size. I prefer a water experience that is a bit less challenging.

In any event, we went swimming on Sunday. T was practiced getting his balance on the surfboard. He is doing rather well. He can stand in proper surfing position and go a short ways when J pushes the board. However, typical of any child going on 4 he wasn't thrilled with sharing the board with his sister. She was extremely interested in what Daddy and big brother were doing on that silly board. J placed her on the board and helped her cruise around getting the swing of things.

I am sure that any local person paddling by in their cayuco found the whole scene to be amusing as here we are - J & T using a surf board no where near a wave so that T can get the feel for the board. B and I were sitting in the inner tube hanging out. She was attempting to climb off the tube and get in the water at every opportunity.

So the gratitudes:

a family photo - it is the first one we have taken in a long time

Family

water babies - our babies love love love the water - B will be swimming before we know it

bathtub temperature water - year round

Sunday afternoon with my family

Hasta luego :-) RHK

digital scrapbooking

So I have been a scrapper as my husband calls it all my life. I have kept scrapbooks and keepsakes as long as I can remember. It must be something my mother taught me early on as I have one of her scrapbooks that she put together as she grew up. It is a window into the past and helps us prepare for the future.

I am actually pretty bad about pulling everything together and making the page. I am great at keeping everything so that someday I can do it, those some days are difficult to come by if you do not stay on top of it. I made myself get everything in order by year and event and into a photo album at least prior to moving to Panama. J and I have have many years together so this was not an easy feat. All of these albums are sitting in an air conditioned storage unit I have in Houston. This is an expensive way to keep these things, but they mean so much to me.

I began working on an album for T, but I didn't get very far since I was required to finish the first project prior to working on his. So I left all of the materials behind keeping only the electronic version of all of the photos I had of T. The first year we were in Panama I didn't do much for Christmas. I did however make a book on Shutterfly of some of my favorite photos of T in his first year. I gave it to his grandparents for Christmas and I kept a copy for us. The second year we were in Panama I did a bit more but after everyone loved the first book so much I decided to do a second one. This time I used Apple's software. It was a great book but the cover didn't hold up as well as the one from Shutterfly.

Fast forward to Summer 2006 where T and I were hanging out in Panama City waiting on B to arrive. I was in the Panamanian equivalent to Target when I happened upon a scrapbooking magazine. I read it cover to cover over and over. I found a reference in it to digital scrapbooking. Well, here I was with some time on my hands so I looked into it. I was able to download the software to my computer and get some basic tools to get started the same night I decided to do it.

So for Christmas last year we gave out a book again - this time I designed all of the pages. It was a lot of fun. I have since used my skills and all of the tools I have purchased for so many different projects. The kids love the books that I make. T picks them as his books to read before bed at least one night a week.

My current project is a book for a couple who are getting married here next week. I am sure it is going to mean a lot to them.

skip forward 2 days

We had a neat family from Panama staying with us at Tranquilo Bay last week. Unfortunately for them and ultimately for us, their son had a virus and ran a fever most of the time they were here. We all thought they had kept him away when he was contagious, but as it turns out our son T ended up with it two days ago. Thus no posts for a few days. T is doing much better - it is all we can do to keep him from running around.

In the past two days B has decided she is walking everywhere she goes. She pats herself on the chest as if to say look at me. She is also talking all of the time. It is so much fun to watch her grow. B and T love each other so much :) - T constantly gives me the play by play when his sister is doing something new. She loves to walk over to him and give him a hug or tease him with a toy or a blanket.

I finished a bag for my dear friend M last week. I actually cut out the pieces before I moved to Panama and just brought them with me when I neglected to finish it in Houston. So, as I am attempting to work on a variety of things I decided it best to finish the bag before I moved onto any new projects. All in all it turned out okay - for the first bag I have sewn. If I were going to make bags on a regular basis, I would need to study into it a bit more. For now my challenges are clothing and things for the house as I really have no need for additional bags nor any real way to get them to people if I was to make them.

So first after the kids went to bed on Thursday night and then yesterday afternoon while the kids were pretending to nap, I went to work on a pair of pants for B. They are from this pattern. I read over the pattern review here a few times and I was sure I was ready to make them. The problem was I sew like I cook. I consider the instructions to be a suggestion not necessarily the way to do things. This is usually okay, but here it wasn't a good idea. I made the ruffle fabric a bit longer and then doubled it over and serged the ends. Then I turned the fabric right side out and attempted to ruffle it. As you can imagine the fabric just kept getting thicker and thicker. Then when I attached it to the bottom of the pants I was dealing with a mess. Instead of catching my snap and doing something about it immediately I pressed on. One broken needle on the conventional machine, one broken and one bent on the serger and a bend on the faceplate of the serger machine later I decided to hand sew the remainder of the ruffle and top stitch by hand. So I was a little slow on this project. I am blaming it on the lack of sleep between the migraine and the sick kids. Then I managed to sew the legs of the pants up incorrectly and had to rip them out with a seam ripper and do it again. I finished the pants way too many hours later and put them on B after she got out of be from her pretend nap. They fit perfectly and I think I have made enough mistakes the first time around that the next round should be much easier. I haven't taken a picture of these pants.

I am practicing with the patterns and fabric I have here and I can get off of the internet prior to my big load of stuff that I ordered in the USA. My dad is shipping everything that came to his house in the next few days and I should receive it all in about 2 or 3 weeks. We shall see how this attempt at shipping goes as it is supposed to be much less expensive than the way we currently receive mail.

So - grateful for:

Migraine is gone :-)

T is just about over the virus & B doesn't seem to have the virus

I didn't cuss up a storm when I ran into the variety of self imposed issues on the little pants for B

B IS WALKING AND TALKING - so fun

J is just about caught up from being away for a week in Columbia

My goodie box is on its way from Texas

We have had some serious quality family time this past week

Until next time - RHK

Posted at 02:17 PM in gratitudes, ninos, sewing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

good day

Today was a good day. I am grateful for the little things that happened today. My migraine has apparently left the building. My son is back on track after his dad was gone for a little over a week. I talked on the phone to one of my dear friends for our weekly catch up conversation. I am aware that my understanding of the Spanish language and my ability to speak it are improving which means I am in for a struggle ahead as I expect more of myself in that regard. I put together an entire website today. My daughter is really just about to take off on her own - she has been working on walking for some time now but it is truly happening now.

day nine

Day nine of what? Day nine of my migraine. This unfortunately isn't completely unusual. I have learned how to be pretty functional with migraines but today has been one of the more challenging days. Today I am grateful for the following:

migraine medication: it helps me cope with otherwise unruly headaches

my current occupation: in my former life as an attorney, migraines were much more difficult to address

Nuris' pizza - thin crust pizza with just the right amount of toppings - so delicous

Pixbae bread - delicious bread made with a local vegetable which when cooked and pureed has a texture similar to pumpkin or sweet potato. Here is a recipe for it.

this tutorial: it is what spurred me to get my sewing machine out again to make two skirts for B

my husband: for suggesting I take a nap during the ninos' nap time

my children: for both taking a decent nap today

Jay: for answering the phone while I took a nap

Hasta Luego - until later

a gratitude journal? a charmed life?

Yes, I think it best that I describe my plans for this blog as a gratitude journal for the opportunity to live a charmed life. I live on an island in the Caribbean Sea. It is a part of Panama - the Republic of Panama. My husband and I along with our children and our business partners live here running a small eco adventure lodge. You can check it our here.

We worked very hard to have the opportunity to develop the business and so far - so good. I blog for work and I develop websites to support our business, but I really wanted an outlet to express my gratitude for my charmed life and for the people and things which make it possible. The web of people and the things that help one lead a charmed life spread across the globe. So here it is - my first step into the world of a personal blog.

Today I am grateful for:

my family: my husband, my two wonderful children, my parents, my siblings, my inlaws, and all of my extended family

my friends: they all know who they are

the internet: for allowing me to reach out and touch my family

my business partners : for putting us here and the continued support we offer each other

leydi: for working with T on his schoolwork today and letting him know how well he did ;-)

aeroperlas: for bringing my husband home to me after a week away

watermelon chicha: basically watermelon juice - oh so good!

my dad: for running errands and preparing things to send to me so that I can do my thing!