Flip-Flop Quilt

I finally finished my Mom's quilt which was intended as her Mother's Day gift. A bit belated wouldn't you say? The quilt itself was actually started on Mother's Day - that's when the three of us did our footprints (which were tricky I tell you). Then I worked on it little by little, embroidering the last stitches yesterday. Grace and I gave it to her last night - hopefully she thought it was worth the extended wait!




I have plans to make one of these for myself too (we did two sets of footprints that day) so I better get busy!

No Peeking

Several weeks ago Grace came across an item that she wanted to purchase for Dean as his Father's Day present. However, the corner of the said item was bent so we opted not to buy it. As the days passed she continually reminded me how "Daddy would just love it" and I honestly knew he would.


So with time Grace's relentless pleas finally worked. The "perfect" item, bent corner and all, was purchased and is now hiding behind the closed doors of the guest room. And just in case a verbal warning wasn't enough, a special sign was created to warn any potential snoopers not to peek!

Owl Cupcakes

We were expecting visitors today (unfortunately those plans fell through), so preparing a special treat was a must. Grace spent nearly an hour thumbing through, "Hello, Cupcake" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, trying to select the perfect dessert. In the end she chose the cute owl cupcakes.

Here's our version of the Mama owls, which vary slightly from the book....


And since making two dozen of these owls seemed a bit daunting, we made twelve of the cupcakes "plain". Well, plain according to Grace since they only contained frosting and crushed Oreo bits.


Dean and I are hopeful that all the chocolate Grace ingested today doesn't keep her up with owls tonight! You see, chocolate has the tendency to make our girl quite hyper in the evening hours.

The Music Man

The school that Grace attends focuses heavily on the performing arts. At the end of the year the school holds a broadway style performance (this is in addition to the four smaller shows during the year) which every child is encouraged to be a part of. This is the first year Grace has participated and she's excited beyond words to be involved in the school's rendition of, "The Music Man".

Since no pictures or filming are allowed the night of the show I took a few today during the rehearsal.....


The poster displayed outside the entrance to the Opera House.


Grace performing on stage with her classmates.


A handmade dress was in order for this special occasion. This is a picture of the embroidery (from Grace's original drawing) on the apron of the dress.


I think this final picture sums up how everyone, including myself as a chaperon, felt after a nearly five hour rehearsal - just plain over it!

Veggie Recipes

This is one of those weeks where I've been inspired to try a few new recipes, mainly for vegetable dishes. We've grown tired (I'm referring to Dean and myself, as Grace is still an anti-veggie girl) of roasted zucchini and steamed beans.

Upon searching for alternative veggie recipes, I found (this) delicious looking torte on Smitten Kitchen. Needless to say the ingredients went on the grocery list and Grace made it (with the exception of slicing the potatoes and squash) this evening to accompany our roasted pork tenderloin.




The pictures really don't do this tasty dish any justice. Trust me on this one, it was good!

On Loss.....

Count the garden by the flowers, never by the leaves that fall. Count you life with the smiles and not the tears that roll. ~ Author Unknown

(Due to an unfortunate set of circumstances, Gypsy is no longer part of our little family. We're hopeful that she'll be placed in a home that can fulfill her needs in a way that we couldn't.)

"Papa, Won't You Dance With Me"

Here's the video from Grace's dance recital - enjoy!

Mother's Day

Sorry for the lack of posting, we've been busy preparing for the arrival of our newest family member, Gypsy. I'll officially introduce her in another post but suffice it to say that she joined our family just in time to celebrate Mother's Day.


Meme and Pop came to visit and spent a relaxing day with us. From making foot prints (for Meme's belated gift) to eating a delicious meal, and everything in between, my day was just about perfect. Happy Mother's Day to you!

The Dancing Duo

Last evening was Grace's much anticipated dance recital (along with her end of the year school program). This year was a special recital indeed - Grace danced with her Daddy to Doris Day's song, "Papa Won't you Dance With Me". The two of them were adorable dancing together on stage, which was truly priceless to watch I tell you.




Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share from the performance itself. (After finding out last minute that the evening's events weren't being professionally filmed I opted to use my camera in the "movie mode" vs. taking still shots.)

Despite the huge filming/photographing disappointment a wonderful evening was had by all (Meme, Pop and Aunt Cathi joined us) - especially the little ballerina!

Blueberry Pickin'

This morning we headed north to a farm in Riverview for some blueberry picking. We braved the sun and heat, along with Meme and Pop, and picked three and a half pounds of the most perfect looking berries. Here are some pictures.....





Now we can't wait to begin making delicious desserts with these blue gems - bring on the blueberry cobbler!