Some Sewing

I've got lots of ideas of things I want to sew and embroider. I finally got out the sewing machine again the other day; organized (a little bit) the craft room and cut a few things out. I made a skirt for Ree (who then went into the fabric drawers and requested more skirts in 3 different fabrics...all with coordinating pajama shorts too). The pattern is the simple skirt pattern and it really IS simple. Thankfully so since more skirts are on the horizon!

I've also been wanting to embroider again. I'm almost finished with this pattern from Clover & Violet. It's part of a sew along they had a few years ago. There are 9 blocks that can then be made into a quilt. I think I will finish this one to be hung on Ree's bed room wall. I would like to make the other blocks as well but not sure if they'll become a quilt.

As for reading I'm still in the middle of Anne of Green Gables but my copy of "Prague Winter" came in at the library the other day. It is very good. Madeline Albright wrote it after her research on her family showed the she was Jewish as a little girl and some of her family members were part of the Holocaust. Reading about how her country (Czechoslovakia) was swallowed up by Germany with their freedoms and everything just gone overnight, made me realize how very lucky we are here in America. 

Yarn Along::finished Oaklet Shawl

I finished my Oaklet Shawl last week & had it all blocked and ready for Saturday's wedding.

Saturday dawned bright & sunny & HOT. No way did I need a shawl even during the ceremony and reception! 

But I am very pleased with how it turned it! I wish I'd made it bigger as it's more of a shawlet/scarf but that's okay. Such an easy knit!

I haven't cast on another knitting project since finishing. Instead I've been embroidering! Come back tomorrow to see what!

Memorial Day

The unofficial start of summer has begun. Here in New England it started with hot, humid weather making us all feel like it truly IS summer!

We celebrated Memorial Day with my sister's annual Memorial Day cookout. Good food; lots of fun; great company. There was a sprinkler for the little one's to run through; sidewalk chalk; and watermelon. All the fun of summer that I remember as a kid. And now I get to see Ree's enthusiasm for it. I love it!

Weekending

 On Saturday we went to a beautiful wedding. A beautiful ceremony; a sprinkle of rain; good food; good friends; a really wonderful day!

 Sunday morning we had breakfast on the back deck; Ree walked through the wet grass; she doesn't like wet sand but loves wet grass; we walked around looking at the strawberries that are growing and the flowers that are blooming.

This afternoon it's playing a little bit of catch up on the house work; working outside; and visiting family. Tomorrow is still the weekend as well which is awesome!

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Linking up with Amanda at Soulemama!

A tired girl after an afternoon at the playground!

Yarn Along

I finished my Oaklet Shawl over the weekend.

I've been waiting for a nice day to block it outside but....the wedding is Saturday. I'm afraid if I wait too long it will BE Saturday before a nice enough day.

I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I can't wait to see it blocked!

I also began reading Anne of Green Gables yesterday. I haven't read it in years and figured it was time to pick it up again. I can't wait until Ree is old enough to read it with!

Rainy Tuesday

Just a little bit of this and that for a rainy Tuesday.

Today is a good day to hopefully get into the craft room to organize it and maybe sew a thing or two. I have a long list of things that need to be sewn. Thanks to Ree who keeps going in & bringing me fabric saying "I need pants" or "I need a skirt" or "I need a shirt" or "I need shorts" or "I need a pillow".

When you've got a sweet little face like that how can a Momma refuse?

I finished my Oaklet Shawl yesterday so I'm hoping to block it today to be able to show you soon. I'm so pleased it's finished in time for this weekends wedding.

After reading Joy's post about canning and Tracey's post about sourdough I now have two new things I want to do this spring/summer. I've been throwing around the idea of making jam for months now and have a nice list of how-to's put together. Now it's just DOING it! As for the sourdough...I'm hopeless when it comes to making bread with yeast so I'll have to think about that a bit more.

Weekending

This weekend was full of a Momma sneezing & coughing & blowing. And when Momma is miserable Ree is miserable.

Saturday started at 5:30 with a screaming Ree. I brought her in bed with me where we "chilled". I called the pediatrician as soon as they opened. Thankfully she gave me advice on how to help Ree so we didn't have to make the trip in.

The rest of the day is a blur. I couldn't really tell you what we did!

Sunday was better. The weather was FANTASTIC. Momma was feeling a bit better. We went to Church; ran errands; then I had the FABULOUS (not) idea of saying "I think Ree can forego her nap today". So we went up north to a flower nursery and spent quite some time there. Ree had lots of fun running around smelling all the flowers and hunting down all the fountains.

We then headed to my sister-in-laws for the rest of the day. And that's where my sweet 2 year old started acting not so sweet but VERY 2.

That's the last time I say I don't think she needs a nap. Especially after a few days of both of us being out of sorts!

Linking up to share our weekend with Amanda at The Habit of Being

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Linking up with Amanda at Soulemama!

She finally got to show the flamingos her new sweater! (They loved it!)

Yarn Along

This yarn along post is brought to you by another (very) rainy day in Southern New England. Right now there's thunder outside in the distance. I love a good thunder storm. I am very thankful that the forecast seems to be beautiful for tomorrow right on through the weekend!

Now if I had been smart I wouldn't have waited until this morning to take today's yarn along picture. Instead I should have taken it the other day out on the back deck where I was knitting in the sunshine. But I wanted to wait to show you my progress at the last minute!

I am still working on my Oaklet shawl. I finished the body yesterday and began the border. It's not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. Although I have to be careful when a little one is around talking to me. But the good news is that I should have it finished for the wedding in a week and a half. I can't wait to see it blocked!

I finally found a book that I'm enjoying: My Name is Mary Sutter. It was recommend through the yarn along but I can't remember by whom. I really like. I forgot how much I like historical fiction. I think after this one is finished I'm going to re-read the Anne of Green Gable books. It's been a long time since I read them and I think I'm over-do for a reading!

Weekending

I need to get better at taking pictures!

We had a beautiful weekend here. The weather was perfect...warm and sunny.

Ree had a friend over Saturday morning; they spent the whole time outside playing together.

That afternoon Ree & her Daddy went off for a few hours. I spent my Momma time cleaning up & preparing food for Sunday. When they returned they had some sweet gifts and a wonderful dinner with them.

On Sunday morning my husband panicked because he forgot to pick up a card. So he & Ree sat down and made me one. To be honest, this was better then any card they could have gotten at the store. They brought me coffee in bed and we spent a wonderful day at my mom's with my parents, sister, other sister & her family.

My Mother's Day was perfect! It's an honor to be Ree's Mommy. I'm lucky enough to feel appreciated, and loved 365 days of the year I don't need a special one to feel that way! I wouldn't trade one second of my life as a wife and mother. Even the mundane. Just seeing my beautiful, happy little girl enjoying life everyday is more then "payment"! I am so thankful to my husband for the opportunity to stay home with Ree and care for her and our household. And so very thankful to God for entrusting me with her beautiful soul!

Linking up with Amanda at The Habit of Being to share weekends!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Linking up at Soulemama today!

Yarn Along

This is not the best picture of my current knits. But the gray, rainy weather isn't conductive to my gray Oaklet shawl. We have a wedding to go to Memorial Day weekend and I'm hoping this will be finished to wear.

I'm also working on a few dish cloths for Mothers Day. Being dizzy for the past almost 5 days hasn't helped my knitting time though!!

Right Now

It's been a long 4 days.
The weekend was not so great.
I have a problem with my ears so was very dizzy and off balance.
At Church we got the horrible news that our pastor passed away Saturday night after an accident.
The weather was still gray and damp.
Our basement needed to be put back together after our water heater died.

Yesterday got better.
I finally went to the doctor & they helped.
Now I'm only a little bit dizzy.
My ears don't hurt as bad.
The sun was out finally!
I remembered these pictures I took Friday night.

Today will be good.
I'll be spending it with my sister, niece, nephew and mom.
And of course Ree!
Hopefully I'll finally be able to knit without making myself so dizzy I need to lay down.

That's pretty much a catch-up of what we've been up to!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Feeding tea to the flamingos Daddy drew for her.

Linking up with Amanda at Soulemama

Sewing for Ree

I'm linking up with Elizabeth today for "Needle and ThREAD". 

A few weeks ago Ree & I went with my mom to the fabric store. Ree LOVED all the pretty fabric and exclaimed over all of it. Both Mommy & Nana bought a little bit to make her some pretty things.

 I made her a pair of "lounge pants" using Amanda Soule's method in The Creative Family. They came out a little big...long and around the waist....but she doesn't seem to mind. She loves her new star jammies. And she'll be able to wear them for quite some time.

I also picked up this cute owl fabric. I love little owls and have a whole bunch of ideas for them pinned on pintrest. This fabric though was originally for another pair of lounge pants but since then I saw Amanda's skirt she made for her little girl; then I came across this pattern for a pillow case dress.

So I'm not sure what the owls will become. Ree wants all 3 of course. A trip to the fabric store in the next few weeks may be in our future!

As for reading I found the copy of Naturally Fun Parties for Kids that the publisher sent me a few weeks ago. I just opened it this afternoon so I'm hoping to get a review up here early next week.

Yarn Along...Flamingo sweater

Ree's flamingo sweater was finished....she was so excited to put it on. And it was too short. I let her dance around with it for awhile but I couldn't take it. I had been hoping she'd be able to wear it this fall as well. It fit every where else fine. So I finally managed to get it off her little body and picked up stitches at the bottom for a knit 2 purl 2 border.

It made me happy though...she was so happy to have her flamingo sweater on! Now all she's talking about is going to the zoo to show the flamingos. That'll be in the next few days I'm sure! And there will be better pictures as well. This is a REALLY pink sweater!

Pattern: Menemsha
My Ravelry notes