Two for her, one for me

Here are the latest additions to our spring/summer wardrobe - two twirly skirts for Grace and skirt for myself. All three required gathers, which were a bit fussy to sew, but other than that they were a breeze to make.


If you're interested - Grace's skirts were made using (this) tutorial and mine was made from a pattern by "Favorite Things" called, "Bella Skirts".

I'm off to finish a dress that Grace has requested - it needs to be completed for tomorrows blueberry picking adventures. Happy stitching!

Garden Fresh

What's so exciting about a fish po'boy sandwich you ask. Well.... the lettuce on the sandwich pictured above was grown in our garden. A little homegrown goodness made this simple dinner oh so tasty. Hooray for gardening success!

If you're interested in the recipe, you can find it (here) - be sure to make the spicy tarter sauce too.

Meme's Birthday

We met Meme and Pop in St. Petersburg to help Meme celebrate her birthday. Our outing included a delicious lunch at an outdoor cafe and a leisurely stroll along the Bayfront. Here are some of the pictures from our perfect afternoon.....






Happy Birthday Mom - we had a wonderful day celebrating with you!

Reading Poetry

Since discovering that April is "Poetry Month" I've found myself reading quite a few poems aloud to Grace. From the much loved books from my childhood to "new" library books, reading poetry to her has been a treat.


This afternoon while relaxing under our oak tree, we read "The Wonder Book", written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Paul Schmid. Grace found many of the poems to be downright funny. When we reached the book's end she had difficultly choosing a favorite poem, saying, "I loved them all too much".


Then there was the discovery of her name (the fact that it was associated with pancakes made it even better) in one of the poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. (this is one of the many wonderful books that my parents saved from my childhood)


Even Sophie seemed a bit interested in the poetry books - perhaps for different reasons than Grace and I.

So go ahead and take the time to read some poetry this month - you won't regret it!

Little Sprouts

Happy Earth Day to you!

Think Pink ....... and Purple too

Around a month ago my Aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. Immediately upon hearing the news I knew that I wanted to make a quilt for her. Grace and I spent the following day visiting the local quilt shops attempting to find a "line" of coordinating breast cancer fabric. Our efforts were a bit unsuccessful, as we could only find one bolt pink ribbon fabric. But then it occurred to me that my Aunt loves the color purple. So, I ended up piecing the front of the quilt of a variety of pink and purple prints and used the breast cancer fabric for the back.



My wish is that the quilt will bring my Aunt hope, strength and courage on the path that lies ahead of her.

Sophie's Eight

Our ever silly schnauzer, Sophie, celebrated her birthday today. We made sure to make her feel special by.... giving her long tummy rubs, taking her for a walk in park to chase squirrels and by making her homemade doggy treats.



Oh, Grace made her a sweet card too. The drawing is of Sophie relaxing on a hammock in Hawaii - this dog has one rough life I tell you!

Swing Those Hips

Introducing "Grace the Hula Girl".....




Want to see her hula show in person? Just stop by our driveway when the mood strikes her and you'll be in for quite a treat. We guarantee that it'll put a smile on your face!

A Handmade Dress

Now that the days are sunny and warm, Grace is in need of some additional clothing. With so many cute patterns available these days, I've decided to make some of her summer dresses and skirts. This will certainly test my sewing abilities since I'm not a "follow the pattern" kind of girl. Oh well here it goes.....


I made this "tunic dress" with a pattern from Dans la lune (found here). The instructions were easy to follow (unlike a traditional pattern) and included many helpful photographs. In fact due to the ease of construction, I'm already eyeing the "fancy dress" pattern from the same site. A little girl can never have too many dresses can they?


And as you can see, Grace is quite pleased with the newest addition to her wardrobe. With one successful item stitched, I'm off to cut fabric for a tiered twirly skirt - wish me luck!

The Seed Book

It just so happens that the "topic" in Grace's class this week is seeds - which works out perfectly with the sowing of our veggie seeds earlier in the week.

Her teachers had requested that each child bring in a piece of fruit or a veggie so the class could observe how the seeds vary in size, shape, etc. Grace decided to take the project one step further by making a "Seed Book" at home.


For the book, she selected six varieties of seeds that we had planted in our garden. On each page she wrote the name of a fruit/veggie, drew a picture of it and lastly, included a sample of the seeds themselves. Needless to say, she's quite happy with her latest handmade book and can't wait to share it with her classmates tomorrow.

Gardening

After spending the last several weeks planning our garden (from reading gardening books to buying seeds), it was finally time to get our hands dirty. And dirty they got.....




Now we can't wait for our sleepy seeds to sprout!

Round-Up Time

It's hard to believe, but at the end of August Grace will be a kindergartner. To help families prepare for this momentous event our local elementary school holds what they call, "The Kindergarten Round-up".

So this evening, with much excitement, we headed to the "two-story school" for an orientation, tour of the classrooms and a bus ride. I think Grace's favorite part of the experience was the yummy chocolate chip cookie that she got to eat from the cafeteria. Yee Haw!

First Swim

Yes it's true, Grace had her first swim of the season this afternoon. Our pool is unheated and was a chilly 74 degrees. But having purple lips and nailbeds didn't stop her from having a great time. When Pop heard the news he said, "She's an Arctic seal" and we certainly agree with him!

Pictures from our day....

Freshly "washed" doll clothing "drying" by the sunny window.


Citrus blossoms in the library's garden - I just love how they fill the air with their sweet scent.


Pizza for two at Whole Foods Market - an every Tuesday ritual.


Thumbing through gardening books that we selected from the library - with our favorite being, "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots" by Sharon Lovejoy.

What "everyday" pictures did you take today?

Easter Saturday

Today we celebrated Easter along with Meme and Pop. We had a wonderful day enjoying each other's company and the beautiful weather. Grace had a great time.....


.....Finding the eggs that the Easter Bunny hid while she was at her final art class.


.....Attempting to break open the egg pinata that we made together earlier in the week. To no surprise, it was filled to the brim with chocolates.


.....Looking through her two baskets - one from Meme and Pop and the other from Dean and I, pictured above.


.....Eating egg cakes for dessert (her "egg" was sans lemon curd).

We hope you have a wonderful Easter too!

A Shower Gift

Over the weekend I attended a baby shower for my cousin, Sarah. She's expecting her second boy the beginning of June. In addition to the "group" gift I wanted to make her a little something handmade too. That's how these t-shirts came to be (using freezer paper stencils and fabric paint) - for two special boys indeed!