Growing Up

So, it's been awhile...it seems that it always is. With three energetic kids in the house this Summer, it's hard to get a chance to sit down, let alone write anything even remotely coherent. We have been coated in lots of sand and sun, and just soaking up the laid back living that Summer should allow. R and B seem to be getting closer to swimming, both of them have come a long way in their comfort level with the water. No lessons, just the old school method of an arms reach mama, and lots of determination. For the most part we haven't had any daily schedule and it has been great!

I have imagined Summer 2012 in my mind for awhile. My babies are all Summer babies, every year when the grass turns green, the flowers come out, and the breezes become warm I have fond memories of my itty bitty babies. This Summer they will turn six, four, and two. They're not really babies anymore.

This past weekend we kicked off the first of these three birthdays, with a garden themed party for Miss R. She invited some of her school friends, and we planted flowers, ate cake, and had a great time playing, screaming, and running around.

There was no sewing for this event...again with the three energetic kids thing...I just haven't had a chance. What I did get a chance for, with some help from Nanny, and of course Pinterest was a yummy homemade birthday cake, and some handmade decorations...the important things, I guess.

The birthday cake was chocolate with buttercream frosting, at the birthday girls request.

We fashioned some tissue paper pompoms that have now become a fantastic addition to the girls bedroom!

As well as a paper banner to add a little bit of fancy to the livingroom.

The guests left with their flowers and a little treat.

It was a great event, and now that it's over, it's on to planning next months birthday bash for Mr. B. Summer birthdays are great. It was a fantastic time to be pregnant, in flip flops and breezy skirts...a fantastic time for newborns, with babywearing evenings in warm breezes...and a fantastic time to celebrate the passing of another year, in the sun with lots of friends

Let the rest of these beautiful days pass slowly...until next time...

time flys

the weeks have a way of getting away from me. It always seems as if they're just starting and in a flash they're over again. For the last weekend in May we made a visit to Hatfield Farm to celebrate R's besties 6th birthday. It was a gorgeous day, and the kids had a fantastic time. Of course, in the flurry of getting there, getting everyone dosed in sunscreen, and making sure we weren't forgetting the birthday girls gift...we forgot the camera! If we would have remembered it, you would be seeing pics of our happy kids running around in the dirt, and our smallest member doing the thing she does with any and all animals. She would have made a great country kid, that girl. Crouched to the ground, snuggled up to a little black and white goat, who maaaa'd at any attempt she made to check out the other animals. Knowing, she would run back by it's side, and give it lots of love, no hesitation.

The night before the event I of course spent the evening, you guessed it, sewing. Trying to fashion a quick skirt for the birthday girl and repurpose an outgrown dress into a skirt, for my own big girl. I have complete respect for anyone who can burn the midnight oil fashioning creative and inspriring things. I, on the other hand, feel like melting into the couch anytime after 10pm...that's my limit. I surpassed this limit and things got chaotic, there was a small sewing mishap, but in the end it turned out pretty well.

For the Birthday Girl

For my Big Girl

After our trip to the farm, we also celebrated the first birthday of a very special guy in our life. Our puppy, Roscoe, turned 1. It's hard to believe that this sweet little guy...

Baby Roscoe

Baby Roscoe and Grae

has turned into this sweet big guy...we love him lots and hope he enjoys many more years with us.

Roscoe's Doggie Ice Cream

this moment

Adapted from Soulemama‘s “…Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”

No photos...please...

endeavours

Lately I've been working on a few things, in the kitchen, at the sewing machine, and at the computer. We recently decided to sign up for a weekly CSA box from a lovely farm called Taproot. What we have been receiving in our weekly food box has been great. It is definitly expanding our knowledge of eating seasonally and locally, and I have spent a few nights tucked on the couch with Jamie Oliver, as well as various other cooking favorites...so that's been great!

"My Help"

This week we received both cranberries and rhubarb...yummm. I found a recipe for cranberry rhubarb muffins here , and with a few minor tweaks, they turned out fantastically well. The kids are still trying to come around to rhubarb, obviously the rip it out of the ground and eat it gene that I carry was not passed along to them. They do however enjoy our endless supply of apples.

The sewing machine endeavours have been equally successful and resulted in two new skirts for the girls. The first is a three tier creation for miss G...it turned out really well in my opinion, and G seems to think so too.

"Polka Mushrooms"

The next is a single tier, big girl skirt, for R. The fabric is one of my current favorites, it just shouts Springtime, Joy Green and White Doves by Michael Miller. It was originally supposed to be a two tier skirt, but measuring, oh how I loathe you...and the second tier was transformed into a handamde bias tape, that I will certainly be using again. Sometimes "mistakes" result in better plans taking shape. That seems to hold true time and time again. I'm contemplating making a mama skirt from this as well, but we shall see...

"Springly"

Lastly, a project that has been in the works for awhile and has resulted in too much evening time spent at the computer by both myself and my husband is this...

I will be appearing at the East Coast Momma Collective in December, which I am very excited about. I'm working on developing a few lines, for girls, boys, and their mommas, for this fantastic event. Stay tuned for more :) .....

the season for skirts (hopefully)

So this weekend we celebrated Easter, in a small, at home kind of way, but fun nonetheless. The kids hit the sugar stash with reckless abandon, and the resulting disaster that accompanied the late afternoon sugar burnout coupled with new hula hoops, broke an all time family fun record. Here's a little look at our weekend.

                                                           B the Superbunny

                                                           My Peeps!!!

Somehow in the middle of all of this I was able to turnout two little skirts for the girls, with a little help from this tutorial. They turned out great, and R and G were equally thrilled to be wearing their new mama creations.

                                                             Always Eclectic

                                                              Working on it

Next in line for a mama creation is this big guy, happy to be in his new superhero t-shirt, but I still need to find some boy sewing inspiration...

It's the sugar I tell you, the sugar....

this moment

Adapted from Soulemama‘s “…Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”

                                                        Happy Easter!

it seams mama sews

So this is where it all starts. My new machine. A gift from my own mama, and this is my gift to her. A document of all the things I create on it, and all the happenings that take place while I do. This is not a place where the unnecessaries often get done, it's almost Easter and I believe that there is still an orange ghost on my refrigerator, lately we're that kind of place, and that's okay. We're busy.

This is my arch nemesis. This sweet contraption and I have never faired very well, I'm pretty sure that I haven't touched it in many, many years. I'm a toss it in the dryer, or toss it on and hope the wrinkles fall out, kind of gal. Given all it seems to add to any sewing creation, I think we'll manage to work things out.

So I started here, simple, kind of retro fabric that I picked out for baby g.

With a few stops along the way, and a few giggles...

We ended up here, thanks to this blog and a little inspiration from my aforementioned mama.

Kind of cute, right???

And suddenly, it seams mama sews...stay tuned for more...