Really? That was spring break?

It flew by!  I can't believe it's over!  It started with a bike ride on the Banks/Vernonia Trail on a beautiful Saturday.  From there the week packed a punch.  One activity after another.

 Monday we celebrated our son in law's birthday with....Pizza!  And cheesecake.  What guy doesn't love pizza?  He received hand made cards and a book from 3 of his children which he lovingly opened and admired.  He is a blessed man.

 We brought some of those blessings home with us for a sleepover.  After all, there was no school so why not.  We watched Frozen yet again.  I cannot get those songs out of my head thanks to two little girls that sing them over and over and act out the movie through out the day.

 The week was spent sewing!  When I asked our grandsons what they wanted to do over spring break, one of them replied, "Sew something to enter in the fair."  Well ok then.  I searched for a pillowcase tutorial.  With help.  A little girl was peering over my shoulder while on pininterest.  A tutorial for Cinderella tutus was seen.  The next thing I knew all my tulle stash is gone and 3 little girls have Cinderella tutus.

 Onto pillowcases!  They each sewed one.  They did a great job with the sewing, pinning, ironing, and pride in their work.

 In the evening I sewed one more Elsa dress.  This one is a gift for a friend and is going to be shipped off soon.  I'll leave it at that.  I didn't have anymore snowflake fabric and it is not available anywhere so I used some fabric in my stash that I thought I might need should I run out of snowflake fabric.  It does look like snow flurries?  If you use your imagination?

 We took a morning off of sewing to got to the library story time.  They enjoyed it as did I.  There is still something about being read to.

 This was my favorite book on the shelf.  Too cute not to pick up and take home!

 Back home, the sewing adventure continues.

 With breaks for creative play.

 Ta Da!  First one done!

 Ta Da!  Look how well her cuff and trims match up at the seam!

 Ta Da!

 There were daily movies for a rest time.  He almost completely rested.  Those eyelids are getting heavy.....

 Spring break ended with the first salmon of 2014 coming home for dinner!  These fed 5 families.

Whooosh....spring break is over and it's back to school tomorrow and the regularly scheduled programming.  It went too fast.  We packed a lot in but it went too fast.  I did manage to finish one knitting project and will post it at another time.  It's a wip that's been in my bag for...a year?

Attacking the WIP pile and Happy Birthday to the Best!

Still fighting the flu/cold here.  It's been a long six weeks.  I think I've turned a corner.  The cough has subsided and I've got a few good nights sleep.  But along with the flu came no energy to do much but knit.  And no energy to knit something new but take on a few WIPs.  Uh, it sort of was spurred on by a little boy asking when his "geen and bown" tiger would be done.  "Are you going to finish it today Nonny?"

 Well, it is finally finished.  And if I didn't think it was worth it before, I sure think it is worth it all now.  I think I was overpaid looking at that grin on the cutest little tiger boy anywhere.  Details on my ravelry page.  I altered the pattern, or rather, the way the pattern was knit.  I'll include the particulars on the ravelry page.  First completed item for 2013.  We won't talk about when I started it.

 Second WIP this weekend, jelly bean socks for Little C.  Instant gratification, sort of.  Never mind that even with these itty bitty socks I had second sock syndrome.  And they fit!  Again, details on my ravelry page.

 And yet another WIP.  Only this is not mine and it never made it into a WIP pile.  My daughter is a monogamous project person.  She has stick to it itis most of us only dare to dream about, albeit not too much.  This is a basic granny square afghan from Brava yarn from Knit Picks.  It is a wonderfully soft acrylic yarn.  I bought a bunch of it thinking I would make a wool eater afghan.  It never happened so I gave the yarn to my daughter and said go for it.  Mix and match, use your colorful eye, just have 2 rows of each color.  It is beautiful!

 And then she took the yarn and we made two hats for the January charity in the itty bitty group on ravelry.  Itty bitty hats for preemies.  She knits beautifully the body of the hat and I decrease the top.  She has such even beautiful knit stitches.

 Someone else has been busy.  I got this adorable little owl as a RAK from Raili, a wonderful friend in my itty bitty group.  Both of us felt overwhelmed and a a little down and could not join the Owl swap going on now.  We decided to RAK people instead.  I must say she is faster than I.  Mine is not ready to go out even in the near future but I do have one or two.  This little guy is staying close.  He's a wonderful reminder of a generous friend I've never met in person but her sweetness and kindness comes through in her posts in our group.

 There was no school for a couple of days and Miss S loves craft projects.  I found this one on pininterest and thought of her.  Basically is it painted washers that you make necklaces out of.  The painting is done with nail polish.  It kept her busy for most of Thursday and she seemed to really enjoy it.

 These are her finished creations.  We just need to get some ribbon to finish them off.  I think they are quite well done and really fun.

 Today was my sweet husband's birthday.  He had quite a rough day at work and left a bit early to see some smiles.  Namely the grandmunchkin smiles.  His early arrival was not it vain.  Smiles and cheering and shouting ensued when he arrived.  It was a wonderful day to be outside and when he got home they were in trees, on the grass, on the playstructure, in the woods, AND in the house making the frosting for his cupcakes.  As you can tell, there were a few taste tests.

As I said, smiles abounded and they completely ended his day on a very high note.

 At the end of the day, after a nice dinner, there was one more smile to be had.  A little knock on the door and candy for Graypa's birthday.  The slurpee was not shareable, but the candy was.

 Before I forget, there was no school last Friday, the typical Graypa fishing day.  So Graypa took along a certain l0 year old future fisherman.  He laughed and ate and reeled in the big ones.  The smile stayed firmly in place.  What a great day for the two of them.

Please excuse the unscheduled pause in the posts.

But those lazy days of summer?  They don't exist in our lives.  We're smack dab in the middle of birthday season and a new wee one is expected to join the fray at any time so that birthday season will be 9 birthdays in 7 weeks.  From June 17 until August 4th. 

 The newest little guy deserved a quilt.  It is similar to his older brothers.  I showed the top a few posts back.  But now it is complete.  Backed and quilted.  And ready to enter in the fair.  Little C won't have need of it for a few weeks anyway so I'm borrowing it for a fair entry. 

 And Little Mr. C has a hat to go with the sweater his Mama made him.  No, I didn't knit this one.  But it is exactly what I was looking for to adorn his sweet little head.  It came all the way from Ireland.  A sweet friend from the Itty Bitty group sent this to me for him.  It is so perfect.  It coordinates with his sweater, it's knit from soft Spud and Chloe and the buttons just make it that much sweeter.  Ber has a sweet little boy of her own so she knew exactly what would be welcomed for Mr. C.  I am amazed by the generousity and kindness of my friends in that group of which Ber is one prime example.

 And I would be remiss if I did not brag a bit on our birthday grandmunchkins.  These 4 are all 5.  Three turned 5 this month, catching up to their cousin for a few weeks.  She will be turning 6 then.  But they have to be the cutest 5 year olds.  I see one of the 5 year olds needs the Nonny "talk" about ruining pictures.  Ahem....

 We went to Out of this World Pizza for play time and, you guessed it, pizza.   Then back to the house for 3 birthday cakes, a table full of gifts, and lots of smiles and laughs. 

 On the same day, this little guy turned to double digits, 10!  We had cake and candles and gifts in a small sort of way at lunch time.  He got to go out to dinner to the place of his choosing with his Mom later.
 After he blew out the candles he told me I had only put 9 candles on the cake.  Guess I forgot how to count to 10 ;)  Legos are a huge hit with this guy.  He loves legos and is content for hours. 

My Mom had a birthday too, the next day.  We celebrated at the park since her birthday fell on a Thursday and there are free concerts on Thursday.  Music and a picnic dinner is a perfect way to celebrate.  Apparently the great grandmunchkins are on cake overload?  Cake and ice cream two days in a row!

 I have to add this, just because it makes me smile, and cry a bit.  Our sweet little ballerina.  Walked out on stage and saw her Graypa and, before performing, waved and said, "Hi Graypa".  We both started crying.  What a special girl she is.

 I made this little top for her 2nd birthday during the days of sewing frenzy.  But forgot to take a picture.  She wore it to our house the other day so I snapped a quick photo.  Quite the fashionista isn't she, with those pink boots.  But she loves her pink books and she was only coming to play so take a picture to mortify her later.

Ok, back to the celebrations.....

Entering into summer with a clean sewing table!

Summer is here!  And our lives are busy.  We really thought with the beginning of summer, life would slow down.  Instead it seems to be ramping up.  But in the midst of all the activities I've finished a lot of sewing projects.  Some have been sitting on the sewing table for awhile.  As an aside, there is Nothing on the sewing table now!  I don't like to sew so much in the summer.  I'd rather be outside knitting enjoying the flowers, the smells, the shade on a hot day.

This little jacket is for a soon to be 6 year old.  After it does a tour in the county fair.  Most of the projects here are going to be entered in the fair.  I've decided to compete in the Niftyist Needler competition.  It's a point system based on the ribbons you receive but you have to enter in at least different fiber arts.  For me that would be sewing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, and counted cross stitch. 

I digressed.  Back to the jacket.  I made this jacket for my own little girl many years ago.  And thereafter for nieces, showers, bazaars, granddaughters.  It's a fun little jacket to make and fairly fast.

Next up, a quilt top for little grandmunchkin soon to appear.  He's still safe and warm with his mommy and when he is born, he won't have much need of a quilt but a quilt he must have.  It is similar to those of his older brothers.  The log cabin blocks on the border I made some years ago and they've been sitting waiting for the right quilt to surround.  This was it.  I'm waiting on John Deere fabric to back it and it's going to the fair too as my quilt entry.

The is the fairytale dress.  I found the pattern on pininterest and, truth be told, I wanted to make it, just to make it.  It has some unique construction.  It also suits a certain little granddaughter's personality, both the dress and the fabric.  A well written unique pattern that I want to make again.  The above photo is the front and the below is the back.  The bodice width is adjustable depending on how tight you pull the bow.  The pattern has the little model wearing a peasant type blouse under and that does add to the dress.

Another nemesis, or rather two.  I made two of these shirts in different sizes just to use up the fabric.  After sweating and trying and trying to get the plaids to match, which I had matched when I cut it out, I realized the plaid in the fabric is off.  First the pattern is a nightmare, and then the fabric. I better get a blue ribbon on this one!

And the last of the sewing session was this dress and pinafore in the Laura Ingalls fashion.  The vintage looking fabric needed this kind of a pattern to pull it off.  I didn't like the way the pattern was written and they way it finished the neckline and arm bands so I won't be making it again.  As it was, I used every last inch of fabric so it was better the pattern didn't have full facings but I, personally, don't like garments finished that way.

I was only able to spend so much time in the sewing room because....

 We have had visitors, really cute ones, that come to read stories, help plant the garden, go for walks.

It's birthday season!  At least in our family.  9 grandmunchkin birthdays in 6 weeks!

                                                           This sweet girl is now 11! 

 And instead of cupcakes or cakes, we made fruit cake skewers and covered them in whipped cream.  They were a hit.  Some had a bit more cake, some a bit more fruit, but ALL had lots of whipped cream!

 Summer is a great time to make chains of all the wild flowers in the surrounding green spaces and woods.  The older is teaching the younger.  I loved watching this.

 A successful lesson and a proper crown for a beautiful princess.

 The garden is UP!  So are the weeds, which means weeding on a daily basis.  A row now, a row tomorrow.  It's a small bit of work each day which means it's still enjoyable.  I love this time in the garden.  If it's a longer time, the back complains, but a few rows a day keeps the weeds down and the garden still fun.

 Another birthday.  This one at the city water park.  What a great place for a birthday party.  And Graypa played the sap for a little, just turning two, granddaughter.  The grin on her face is priceless. 

And as if there isn't enough going on, throw in a week of VBS!  The kids are having a wonderful time and, rather than run there and back, I sit in the nice comfy chairs in the vestibule and knit!