Saturday, July 26, 2014

this girl...




the finished banners. i don't love them, but i do love how easy they were to make. i will try this method again (no measuring or marking), but next time i will try a pendant shape.




karaoke, for the girl that loves to sing (complete with a frozen soundtrack). the credit for this fantastic idea goes to grampy. 






a closet full of "princess" dresses... thanks to grandma. i must share grandma's source, because it is brilliant. garage sales. yes, grandma frequently goes to garage sales and keeps her eyes open for fancy dresses... usually only worn a handful of times.... and she picks them up for less than two dollars. thanks to her we have a wide range of sizes and colors... a perfect fit for our many princesses and any others that come to play.



so... this girl.
my first summer birthday. my oldest daughter. my empathetic sweetheart. my stubborn firecracker.
my layla bee.
i remember every detail of the day she was born like it was yesterday, but now that day is eight years ago.
eight.
she is so much like me. from her long toes... to her fiery temper... even the way she is so ready to grow up at the tender age of eight.
it gives me a bit of comfort when i worry about her urgency to grow up, or her terribly stubborn attitude.... to think back and remember that at her age... i was exactly the same.
anyway... enough sentiment... i am going to share eight things that you may or may not now about this fabulous little lady for her eighth birthday.

eight things
1. she wants to be a teacher.
2. she loves to organize her desk, and school her sisters (obviously her no. 1 is a good fit).
3. she LOVES to sing... and dance.
4. she can ride a dirt bike.
5. she crawled at six months... walked at ten months.... and spoke in sentences at a year.
6. she is very thoughtful... when the family goes around the dinner table sharing about their day... she always includes a special heartfelt compliment for each person.
7. she is very stubborn... each day when it comes time for chores... she makes a very fiery argument why she should not have to do them (okay, maybe not each day... but often).
8. every night before she goes to sleep she must have a story, a kiss, and a drink of water.

it has been such a pleasure watching this girl grow... can't wait to see what the next eight years bring.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

home and away














my camera died after the quilt show and i forgot my charger... go figure

we traveled into the mountains with family last weekend. it was a wonderful trip. we went to a quilt show in the most adorable little town. we played family games of badminton and croquet. we swam in the pool... a lot... and it was HOT... it felt so wonderful to experience some heat. we relaxed. we watched old movies (vhs movies). we gathered together with even more family that we hadn't seen in quite a while. it was truly a wonderful trip, and we are hoping to plan another (longer) one before the summer is over.








but of course... coming home was just as wonderful as getting away.
we realized that badminton was a blast with a now 8 and almost 10 year old... and had to get our own set for the backyard. we didn't think about the wind we get though... so our games are always a little off... but still perfectly fun. and now with the next two weeks at home (although still very busy) i'm hoping to find some time to slow down and enjoy some creative time.

Friday, July 11, 2014

around the house

goodness... i guess it's been awhile...
our days have been so full and busy lately.
and even though it feels as if i haven't accomplished anything more than swimming lessons... these photos do seem to prove otherwise.


i was going through my scrap fabric piles (those pieces that are too small for most projects and yet big enough for the right project), and i discovered that i had a group of fabrics that paired together perfectly for my big girl's room. i thought i would try some scrap fabric banners first. i love how simple they are and how quickly they came together, but i am still on the fence about how much i actually like them when they are hung up (photos of that soon... hopefully).

big girl pictured below... her eighth birthday is in three days.



warning: skip this paragraph if you are not interested in how i made the blankets.

i also found some time to work in my little girls' room. i finally made their matching blankets. i don't know if you recognize that fabric or not, but it has been laying around in a big pile for months (i have posted it on the blog here and there). the really funny thing is that once i started, both blankets were finished in an afternoon. they were so simple. i used flannel for the top and fleece for the inside. as far as the sewing goes... i just spread the two fabrics out flat on the floor right sides together. then i decided on a blanket to use as a pattern. put the "pattern" on top, cut around it (no measuring whatsoever). then i went around and safety pinned the two fabrics together. then i sewed around the outside about 5/8th from the edge... leaving a opening to turn it right side out. then i turned it right side out and top stitched about 5/8th from the edge again. bam. done. 


warning: skip over this paragraph if you are not interested in how i made the banners.

now... of course... once their beds were identical they began having trouble recognizing which bed was theirs... hmmm. so... i threw together those little banners. no measuring. i simply tore out some pages from these books that i purposely kept for projects like this (don't get the wrong idea... i LOVE books... but i honestly thought i might be doing a service removing these from circulation).... then i held multiple pages together and simply cut a pendant shape. then i took some plastic letter stencils and a light pink "shiva oil paintstik" and i traced the paintstik along the outer edge of the letter, placed the letter in the center of the pendant, and took a tissue and wiped towards the center, smearing the paint into the center of the stencil... printing a somewhat translucent letter. then i hole punched each corner and strung then on a very thick yarn.



above:
do you see the bald eagle perched on the tree branch? i know it is hard to tell in the photos, but he was HUGE! he must have been the size of my almost ten year old's torso.

below:
evidence of outdoor play.




above:
remember the chairs that i bought for $5 to create some outdoor furniture? they have quickly been whisked away to serve a purpose in other areas of the home... i suppose i will have to start over.
below:
our library reading program has been focusing on art and science this year... we are loving it!
also... the "random paper holders" i put up by my desk are now overflowing with things from last school year that at some point i will need to find time to deal with... sigh... maybe when the new school year starts??






who posts pictures of a dirty laundry room? ummm... someone who is very happy to have a that space become usable again. all of the construction for that project is finished. i am still working on painting though and i am in love with the color... warm stone... i love this color so much i think i could actually paint the majority of my home in this one... it goes with everything... and in my opinion is the perfect combination of gray and brown. i just painted all of the trim in the hallway. now i need to paint the walls in the hallway and the other half of the bathroom. then it will get really fun... think shelves, hooks, and chalkboard paint... yes.

i know this was a completely random update... i will try to do better next time... but this does reflect the way my mind has been feeling lately (all over the place). we are off to the mountains today for some much needed rest and relaxation over the weekend.... but now i must get back to the stressful part... packing!

see you next week.