miscellaneous

Here's what I've been up to this week...

* I have about a million and a half projects going on... taxes, sewing projects, cleaning, photo albums, etc. etc. But instead of finishing anything that is started... I felt compelled to begin THIS. "The World's Smallest 1000 Piece Puzzle." My in-laws sent it home with me this weekend because I squealed with delight at the sight of its perfectly adorable teeny-tiny miniature pieces. Just what I needed. (Not.) But I can't stop! Someone send help.

* The trees are all blooming here and they. are. GORGEOUS! Love it!

* I guess it's spring break week here in Dallas because all of our usual places (Trader Joe's, Half Price Books, Target - I know, I live an exciting life) are super busy. And at Trader Joe's yesterday, the checker asked my daughter and I, "So what are you guys planning to do for spring break?" It was then that it finally dawned on me that this was the cause of all the extra people and all I could reply was... "Um... play... and eat... and sleep... the same things we usually do I guess." I've never been one for quick comebacks or exciting remarks. Ha. :)

* I am *planning* to sew a Cargo Duffle Bag by Noodlehead via the sew-a-long on the blog C'est Le Vie. My fabric came yesterday and it's washed up and ready to be cut. Maybe tonight... if I can pull myself away from my puzzle. I'm using Catnap fabric and I'm so excited to see how it turns out. Hopefully I haven't bitten off more than I can chew - it looks like a rather complicated pattern.

* Besides the puzzle, the other thing in the way of my sewing progress are the piles of junk strewn about my craft room. I made the (rather unfortunate) decision to clean and reorganize my craft closet and it looks like an explosion of massive proportions took place all over my floor and desk and workspaces. Yikes. I kind of want to just stuff it all back into the closet and pretend it's organized. But that wouldn't really get me anywhere, so I am trudging along. Don't know where to cut my fabric, though...

* On Saturday, I made Double Chocolate Cake Donuts from Joy the Baker's blog. They were amazing! But my husband, who has a comment for absolutely everything, said "These are just cake in the shape of a donut!" Umm... sorry? I made you donuts, just eat them and don't complain!

* So, now that my daughter is one year old, does that make her a toddler? Because all printed references to her (Babycenter emails, doctor's office info sheets, etc.) refer to her as a toddler. But she can't walk. She's really not even close. Does toddler refer more to an age or a developmental stage? I, for one, refuse to call her a toddler until she can walk. I'm ok with having a baby for a little bit longer. 

* Speaking of my daughter, Kid's Clothes Week is coming up again on April 7-13. How did that happen? I swear the last one just ended. Anyway... what worked for me last time was being super organized. I chose patterns and fabric and even cut most of the fabric before KCW started. I'm going to try to do that again. My goals for this KCW are to make her a romper/sunsuit, following the tutorial on Made by Rae, and a dress for a wedding we are attending in July, probably another Geranium. I think I need at least 1 or 2 more projects to keep me busy, but I haven't decided what yet. Suggestions are welcome. :)

* This gorgeous spring weather makes me want to garden. The problem with that is when summer comes to Texas, my urge to garden goes away completely (ewww, hot!) , and I end up with lots of dead plants. But I still think I will plant some flowers again this year and do my utmost to keep them alive as long as possible. And maybe even some strawberries! I did purchase a basil plant from Trader Joe's a couple weeks ago so that I can try my hand at homemade pesto. I haven't put it outside yet (and it's a good thing, because we had a super hard freeze that would have killed it last week), but now my cat has been chewing on it and doing his best to slowly kill it. Grrr...

If you are still reading this rambly post, I applaud you! A little peak inside my mind... it can be a crazy place and it is always, always going! Stay tuned later this week for a simple tutorial to keep your baby/toddler occupied. :)

wooden rocking scooter

As you may or may not remember from some of the nursery posts (here and here and here), my husband has a *slight* obsession with scooters... an obsession that he is working hard to bestow upon our daughter. 

So when I saw a pattern for a wooden rocking scooter on Pinterest, I knew he would be game for making one for her. And when we were in Iowa over Christmas, he and my dad did just that! The pattern is Charlie's Scooter from the blog Ana White. They followed the pattern for the most part, but did make some changes to increase the stability and structural integrity of the scooter.

My dad is a woodworker and does beautiful work. He has a wood shop in his basement where he does projects, so each day of our visit, I could hear them down there... cutting and sanding and nailing and gluing. Finally, the scooter was done!

But it wasn't completely done... no, it still needed to be painted. That was mostly my job. And I'm not proud to say it, but it took a bit longer to paint than it did to build. There were lots of colors and lots of coats! The silver parts took SIX coats alone to completely cover!

First we primed it...

Then we painted each part... (I picked a beautiful minty green for the main body of the scooter. I just love how it turned out!)

I'm happy to say that we finally finished it a month or so ago and it looks sooo adorable. Baby girl doesn't quite understand how to ride it yet, but she will learn quickly. And it will always be a special keepsake... built by her grandfather and her daddy... painted by her mommy (and daddy). 

And maybe... just maybe, it will fuel in her an obsession with scooters. (I know daddy would love that!)

"my family" board book

This is not a sponsored post or anything like that... I just wanted to share something that I like and thought some of you might like too!

For awhile I have been wanting to make a photo book for my daughter with pictures of all of her close family members. With some family nearby and some far away, I want her to still be able to learn their names and to always recognize her family. As she approached her first birthday and became more and more interested in looking at pictures, I knew it would be the perfect time to make a book.

I have seen a baby photo book made using a small photo album, and an idea on Pinterest to glue photos over the pages of a board book (presumably one you don't like?!). But I really wanted something more durable, a book that I can give my daughter to look at and know she won't be able to immediately destroy it - either by chewing or ripping... or any other method that she comes up with. 

So I decided that I really wanted a printed board book. I did some internet searches, and the only company that I could find that does what I wanted is called Pint Size Productions. The website allows you to make personalized board books based on templates or from your own design.
[apologizing for my awkward attempt to blur my daughter's name below!]

The book design software was not as intuitive as I've seen on other larger photo book websites, but after spending some time on the site over a period of several days, I finally finished my book. (Not because of the software, but because I'm slow, haha.)

The standard size 16-page books are not cheap - $24.95 plus tax and shipping - but for a keepsake that I know will be so special for my daughter to have, I decided it would be worth it. When I checked out, it said that shipping would take 12-15 business days, so I didn't think it would be here in time for her birthday, but it actually came much faster and was here within about 5 business days.

We love the book. My husband and I can read it to her and talk about all of our family members... and baby girl loves to sit with it and flip through the pictures.

The finish on the cover and the photos is matte rather than glossy. It's fine, and probably makes the book a little more durable, but the photos I submitted seem a bit dark because of it. The only thing I worry about are the top and side edges, they are a little rougher than I expected so I hope they don't start to look too messy with use.

For what it is, though, it's been great! And what a fun way to talk about family with our daughter! I totally recommend this as a gift for a baby or young child.

dinosaur valley

I would be a much better and more productive person if I didn't have to plan dinner. It is seriously just about my least favorite thing. It wears on my mind all day and then I spend hours scrolling through recipes. And nothing sounds good or looks simple enough. Ugh. Then the moment I decide to forget about it and just make french toast or order pizza... suddenly all is right with the world! Please tell me that I am not alone, here, people!

Anyway.

While my parents were visiting, we took a trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas. My dad is pretty into fossils so we thought he would enjoy it a whole lot. (Who am I kidding? I am that dorky kid who in elementary school would say I wanted to be either a geologist or a paleontologist when I grew up... Ok, it was for me too.)

Dinosaur Valley is cool because you can see real dinosaur footprints in the riverbed. Yes! Real footprints from real dinosaurs walking 113 million years ago across what is now Texas! Not something you can see every day, that's for sure.

There are a couple main sites in the park that require just a little walk to get out to. One requires a walk on stones across the river. Not really very handicapped accessible I suppose, but it was fun. And the day we visited was absolutely gorgeous!

Unfortunately, in the early 1900s when the site was discovered, many of the prints were cut out of the riverbed and sold or sent to museums. Other prints have eroded due to flooding or other natural occurrences and have either disappeared or are barely visible. So there are not a ton of footprints to see in the public areas of the park, though I'm sure you could see more if you hiked to some of the more remote areas. I was talking to a friend about visiting and she said her husband felt it was a big disappointment. I didn't really think so, however, because how often can you see authentic dinosaur footprints outside of a museum? In nature? Where the dinosaurs actually walked? Not very often. If this kind of thing interests you... don't put it off too long because the tracks that are left will eventually erode away as well!

In conclusion (what is this, a book report?), I thought is was pretty neat. There is also a crazy (but probably really sweet) guy who sells rocks and fossils - most of which he finds - at a place called The Stone Hut on the road to Dinosaur Valley. If you ever visit, be sure to pay him a call... He is a trip! We bought some petrified wood from him to put in our garden. :)

fun times with family

My parents came to stay for a week over my baby girl's birthday. It was soooo wonderful to have them here... in case you were wondering, they live 800+ miles away, so we don't see nearly enough of them.

But they were able to make their flights (sandwiched between harsh midwestern blizzards) and I dare say they appreciated the break in shoveling snow and battling sub-zero temperatures, even if it was only for a week. Because we had a GORGEOUS week here in Texas.

We spent a lot of time at the arboretum. We even had a picnic! In fact, we visited three separate days over their trip. It was lovely and relaxing and we especially couldn't believe how many new flowers had bloomed in between visits. Beautiful!

So this week, baby girl and I are missing Poppy and Nana. We Facetimed (is that a word?) with them on Sunday, and my daughter gave her Nana three big sloppy kisses over the phone. So adorable. And sweet. And also a little sad, because we probably won't see them in person again until July. And babies change so fast. 

But we are so thankful for the memories!!

You Are My Sunshine: a first birthday party

My daughter turned one this week. For me it's bittersweet. I can't believe her baby days are going by so fast. But on the other hand, she is learning so many new things and is just so much fun. I am truly looking forward to all the "big girl" things we can do together, and those days will be coming soon - play-doh, chalk, board games, arts and crafts. These things I have been looking forward to doing with my kids for a long, long time... years before I had a child or was even married. But I can't help but be a little sad about all the things that are already over - nursing her to sleep, being able to hold her easily in my arms (she's so big and squirmy now!), the first smile, first laugh, first word, first tooth, first food. I know there will be many, many more firsts... but it is still hitting me hard just how quickly it goes.

Another event that I've been looking forward to for a long, long time is hosting birthday parties for my kids. Growing up, my parents always planned the best parties - streamers and balloons and well-organized games with prizes... they are such happy memories. I've always looked forward to planning parties for my own kids someday. And that day was Sunday!

I may have gone just a teensy bit overboard... since I know a 1-year-old can't really appreciate it anyway, but I am willing to admit that the party was mostly for me. And Pinterest is so full of temptations.... I blame Pinterest. :)

The theme was "You Are My Sunshine" so yellow was the color of the day. I sewed my girlie a yellow Geranium Dress a few weeks ago and it was absolutely perfect. I made a quick farfalle hairbow, paired it with white tights and gold shoes from Old Navy, and her outfit was good to go. Oh, and I can't forget her special bib!

I set up a sweets table with a homemade angel food cake - and I just had to buy these mini pans off Amazon so that my baby girl could have her very own mini cake! Sunshine and heart cookies (glace icing recipe here), kettle corn, chocolate coated sunflower seeds, yellow rock candy, yellow sixlets and pretty yellow sodas rounded out the spread.

 

My husband grilled burgers for us and both sets of grandparents and a beautiful great-grandmother. We had a lovely lunch followed by cake and ice cream. Baby girl wasn't too sure about the cake at first, but after I cut her a piece to try she was all about it. Then gifts and lots of playtime.

 

Such a wonderful day and so filled with love. I have read many times that children multiply love and I completely believe that to be true. What a happy, fun-filled celebration for the sweetest one-year-old I know. She has brought such joy to our lives.

one

I've been a little busy lately... but for good reason! I have been planning a special first birthday party and getting ready for my parents to come down for a visit. The cleaning and crafting and planning has left me with very little time to blog.

I did however, have to pop in to share this... because it makes me smile too much. I made a special birthday bapron for my daughter to wear at her party. It coordinates with her dress (heaven forbid she get cake and ice cream on that!!) and is super cute. I added the applique letter and sunshine with fusible webbing. Can't wait to see her wear it on Sunday! :)