Dragon making - part 1.

 

I thought it would be a great idea for Grace and I to make a quilt together this summer. Perhaps a wonky log cabin pattern that didn't require a precise seam allowance. When I mentioned my idea to her she was quick to respond with, "Not much", otherwise known as I'm not interested.

 

Several days later the topic of sewing came up again and Grace offered a suggestion for an alternative project...... making a dragon. So to make a long story short, we're making/sewing a dragon together this summer and its' creation is underway.

 

 

 

We're using a pattern from Soto Softies which we purchased from Etsy. Since the pattern recommended using wool felt, a trip to Rainbow's End Quilt Shop was in order (it's the only place I know where to purchase wool felt with the exception of the internet). Thankfully, while Grace was visiting with Meme and Pop over the weekend, Meme took her to select three felt colors that the pattern called for.

 

This morning, after taking the dogs for a walk in the park, we officially started the dragon. We're being sure to take things slow and steady, to avoid any unnecessary frustration. Today's goal was to cut out all of the required pattern pieces and tomorrow we plan to start sewing.

 

 We'll keep you posted on our progress!

Pretzels for lunch.

Grace is a huge fan of sweet soft-baked pretzels. When the rare opportunity arises when we find ourselves at a mall, whether from "Pretzel Twister" or "Auntie Anne's", we're sure to purchase one (or perhaps two).

Grace has been requesting to make a batch of pretzels at home for quite some time now. Ours certainly don't taste quite as good as the mall bought variety (perhaps because we use a fair amount of whole grain flour) but they are tasty none the less. We've tried numerous recipes but we find ourselves using a recipe from Gale Gand, which we've tweaked to accommodate the flour we use and Grace's sweet tooth.

The results of our pretzel making can be seen above. We had our timing right and they came out of the oven just in time for lunch. Pretzels and banana smoothies make for a delicious lunch I tell you!

First day of summer.

 

On this first day of June and our first official day of summer vacation I expected to be displaying a picture of Grace playing the piano during her recital. But alas, she awoke with a sore throat and fever so we had a change in plans. Instead we had a rather lazy day around the house.

Due to our laziness we managed to finish our first read-aloud book of the summer, "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo. Dean and I had gotten away from reading aloud to Grace each evening (for reasons which I'll share later) so it certainly feels great to be back at it.

We hope you'll join us this summer and see what we're up to!

Birthday Bingo

Over the weekend we spent time helping Meme celebrate her birthday. One of the activities we did together was to play bingo at the first ever "Bingo Night" at Grace's school. Things started off quite well, but then quickly turned sour. You see, Grace can be a bit competetive and when she doesn't win, the drama often begins.

Here's how the night unfoled......

Needless to say there were no Bingo's in the cards for us on this given night.... but there's always hope for next time!

Ten

Our sweet Sophie recently turned ten. As with any birthday or festivity Grace enjoys the role of party planner. Sohpie's special day was no exception. Upon her arrival home from school, Grace went right to work - from crafting a card and banner to making a bone shaped "cake" (since Sophie is on a strict prescrition diet due to her sensitive stomach, Grace made the cake using canned dog food) nothing was left out.

Once Dean arrived home and our dinner was complete, Grace played "Happy Birthday" for Sophie on the piano while we were instructed to sing. Then, the girls (yes, Lucy partook in the treats too) had their yummy birthday cakes.

It was a sweet celebration indeed!

In the Garden

We found ourselves with an extra ten minutes this morning before having the need to head off to school. Grace decided that she wanted to spend the time outside peeking around the garden.

For some reason it always seems that so much growth occurs during the night while we're fast asleep. And the plants always appear refreshed first thing in the morning too, unlike their parched state come late afternoon.






Pictures from top to bottom.... 1) Grace holding one of the colossal zucchinis - I swear they're the size of your pinkie finger one day, then the size of a billy club the next. 2) One of the many melon blossoms with bush beans in the background 3) Lucy up to her naughtiness in the garden - she's a digger I tell you. 4) An early morning visitor on a corn stalk 5) Grace and Sophie taking a rest after peeking around.

So indeed, the morning is a good time to look around this little garden of ours.

Before and After

Lucy received her first haircut from the groomer last week. Both she and Sophie had reached a ten on the fuzz-o-meter index or in other words were long overdue. You see the groomer wouldn't take Lucy until she had completed her full course of puppy shots and with wanting to keep both dogs on the same haircutting schedule, we waited.

Here's how they looked before.......



And after.......



Quite a difference wouldn't you say?