Baby Blankets

I made this for a friend of mine nearly two years ago.  I had made several for Aven when I was pregnant with her (over 3 years ago!)...

...and enjoyed them so much (both sewing and using them) that I decided to make one for a friend.  You can find where I posted about Aven's here.  I also mention how I went about sewing them in that post.

Ballet Blues

My sweet girl attempted a girls ballet class several months ago.  The first 20 minutes I saw nothing but smiles.  And then, in an instant, I saw nothing but tears.  We tried a second class and she was as miserable as she was at the end of the previous class.  The staff was wonderful, the class was wonderfully imaginative and sweet.  It just wasn't for her.  Before her 20 minutes of ballet bliss she had requested that I make her a tutu.  Specifically a blue poofy tutu.  Although I spent my own years in ballet despising tutu's, I had a surprisingly good time making one for her.  And an even better time watching her dance around the house in it.  Though ballet is no longer on her radar, she still loves the tutu.  Which makes for a happy mama.  I had enough tulle left over to make some matching hair clips and a wand.  There are lots of great YouTube videos on making "No Sew Tutus" so if you're interested in making one, I'd suggest perusing them until you find the method that works best for you.  It's what I did, and it worked out perfectly.  For my beautiful non-ballerina and me.

Applique Fish

Three years ago this little guy turned three.  Three years ago he was really into fish, so we bought him an aquarium for his birthday and I made him this shirt.  He saw these pictures the other day and requested that I make him another shirt.  Love that boy, and the fact that he still likes it when I make him things.

Now, at six, he's into hermit crabs.  I had been toying with the idea of getting some ever since we visited Ocean City (back in June) and saw an abundance of them for sale on the boardwalk.  So we went to the pet store and brought home a couple this weekend.  Hicklan and Herman have been a fun addition to our family.  But I'm not exactly feeling the urge to applique hermit crabs.  Perhaps I'll get there, or perhaps he'll think of something simpler and more fun for me to sew. 

Homeschool

First Day of Homeschool

7-7-14

My son had a wonderful experience in Kindergarten.  Great school, fantastic teacher, he excelled at math and reading, met new friends, and had lots of fun.  So, how come we decided to homeschool?

Several reasons, really.  But they could all probably fall under one large category...balance.  He would leave for school at about 7:30 in the morning, and wouldn't get back home until about 3:00 in the afternoon.  Which makes for a huge day for a 5 year old (who just turned 6 a few days ago!).  Then we would have a snack and a break before starting on the 30-60 minutes of homework he had each night.  He had to attend Saturday school on several occasions as well, in order to make up absences from when he was sick.

Our lives revolved around school.  He was exhausted from his demanding days.  My daughter was exhausted because her naptime was always interrupted with needing to go pick up her brother.  I was exhausted from waking up early every morning and dealing with children who were grumpy and crabby exhausted.  There was no balance.  It was all about school.  And that just seemed all wrong to me.

My son, by nature, is incredibly curious about the world God made and how it works.  But we had no time or energy to let him explore the things that interested him most because all of our time was consumed with learning what was required in school.  Again, a great school and a fantastic teacher.  But a system that left our family drained and weary, instead of infused with excitement and enthusiasm for learning the things we would like to.

And so, we are homeschooling.  We started last week because I wanted the flexibility a year round calendar allows for.  Our first week has been fun, exciting and slightly nerve-wracking.  But it has already shown me that we made the right decision.  That whether it is a good day or a difficult one, it will be a balanced one for our family. 

Cross Stitch Christmas Cards

Along with cross stitch ornaments, last year I made a few cards.  This card was made with the same pattern as the ornaments.

 The crochet star ornament was from this tutorial.  

I used them primarily in gift wrapping.  

They were super easy, fast, and fun to make.

And the pattern for these cards came from the October 2012 issue of the magazine Cross Stitcher.

After I was done cross stitching, I frayed the edges, and then used double sided tape to adhere it to the card.  I enjoyed making these, and I think they turn out really cute!

Cross Stitch Angel Ornaments

This pattern came from the December 2011 issue of the magazine Create & Decorate.  I had not cross stitched since I was a little girl, and I really enjoyed the nostalgia of it as I worked on these ornaments for some of the wonderful women in my life.  I haven't cross stitched all that often since last Christmas, but I occasionally pick it up now and then, and enjoy it when I do. 

Bird Ornaments

Another tradition I have is making each of my children one of these ornaments each year.  

They are simple and quick to make, and I love the idea that when they are adults they will have quite a few of these to hang on their own Christmas trees.