Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Uncle Tim et. al. It is always a fun time and this year was no exception! I made the pies:)

Daddy doing Kate's hair (yes, he does hair!!)

all around the table

And more projects...

 I've been busy! Not that I'm ever NOT busy, but recently I've had the sewing bug or a transient "obsession" as Loren so lovingly refers to it. Our dining room table has been filled with my Bernina, my (relatively) new serger and lots of fabric. Most are for gifts, so hopefully those of you on the receiving end have either already received the gift or don't read this so the fun isn't spoiled!! So that means you, Lindsay Cashen, Jillian Wehmeyer, Baylie Brooks, Josephine Valgus and Alison Biggs don't read until you get my package!!

For real, please don't:)

Here is a skirt for a niece with a pattern I just made up:

this pretty rolled edge is courtesy of the serger!

And these are some more dresses made from old men's shirts, but using a different tutorial, found here.

And a newborn gown from this tutorial...

T-shirt before:

...and after

Last for today, pillows I made from a bridesmaids dress...roughly following this pattern

 

So now I need to work on my case presentations for school. So hard when there is pretty fabric calling my name...sigh...

Straggler wedding photos...

Here are the last of Beedoh's wedding photos. These are from the professional photographer. Hopefully I'll have some photos from Alison's wedding in Chicago last weekend soon!!

Projects

Here are some of the things we've been working on...

This is a dress I made from one of Loren's old dress shirts

Here are some pants I lengthened by adding a ruffle to the bottom

This is the latest in my knitting adventures...I've graduated from dishcloths and swiffer covers to leg warmers! I used this tutorial. My skills are improving! It was knit in the round on 4 double pointed needles AND has stripes!! I'm working on a dress for Christmas now...we'll see if I can finish!!

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween! This year Kate was Cinderella. She had been asking and asking for a Cinderella dress, so I broke down and made one for her. It was quite a project, when I realized half way through that the fabric store had cut my fabric short and I didn't have enough. When I went back, they were out of the original fabric, so I got one that was close and got a sparkly organza to overlay and hide the color mis-match. I think it actually turned out even cuter with the sparkles! Plus, Kate loved the "sprinkles" on the skirt.

We went to playgroup on Friday wearing Cinderella and then on Saturday we went to a neighborhood parade at a friends' home and then to church for Trunk or Treat. Kate wasn't quite sure at the beginning, when people reached for her treat bag, she was pretty sure they were trying to take it from her. It took a few trunks for her to realize that people were actually giving her candy! Then she decided it was ok:)

Nice Mommy

I've mentioned before how much Kate loves playing with her babies (who are all named "Baby").

She rocks them, cooks for them, dresses them, changes their diapers and even nurses them. I love hearing her pretending and talking to her babies, it is so cute!

Wisdom in childrens' books

From "I Knew You Could" by Craig Dorfman

You'll go through tunnels, surrounded by dark,
And you'll wish for a light or even a spark.
You might get scared or a little bit sad,
Wondering if maybe your track has gone bad.
So here's some advice to help ease your doubt:
The track you took in must also go out.

So steady yourself and just keep on going--
Before you know it, some light will be showing.
And then you'll be out, heading to a new place.
You'll be ready for the next tunnel you face.

Sometimes you'll look up and see planes in the sky,
And you'll think to yourself, "I wish I could fly."
The cars on the roads will seem quick and free--
You'll feel stuck on your track and think, "I wish that was me."

But the plane might wish he could get out of the air,
Saying, "I wish I could travel like that train down there."
The cars will watch as you speed right along,
And they'll say to each other,
"Look, how fast and how strong!"
Don't worry about not being a car or a plane.
Just enjoy the trip you'll take as a train.

Andrea Roberts Photos

You'd never guess it, but...

...these cute photos were hard-earned.

Andrea is my good friend from childhood- she and her husband moved to Iowa City when I was in dental school so her husband could also attend dental school (he is going to be a pediatric dentist in CO). They had their first baby, Evan, while we were living there. They met up with us in Iowa City for Beedoh's wedding at the end of August. It was so great to get to see them, even if it was for only a few minutes! Andrea is an absolutely amazing photographer (remember the photos from when Kate was 3 months old), and I was dying to have some more done. Kate, however, had other plans. We met with Andrea the morning of Beedoh's wedding. I made Kate's dress, purchased a new outfit for me and had Loren under strict orders to look good. Unfortunately, Kate was in a TERRIBLE mood. She was whiny, clingy and generally difficult. Andrea's photos don't appear that way, but man, they were hard-earned! I'm hoping we can maybe talk her into another session when we are in CO for Christmas!!

2nd Birthday Party

We had Kate's 2nd birthday party on Sept. 19, it was a great time! We did a pasta bar, with several kinds of pasta and sauces to choose from. Beedoh was the fantastic cook and ran all 4 of our burners at the same time to get the pasta all ready at the same time. It was a big hit! We had chocolate cake with pink frosting and sprinkles, by request and ice cream and cookies- also by request. Kate had been talking about having cookies at her birthday party for weeks. The cake was much more of a success with Kate this year than last year! Kate had 5 other kids and their parents come, plus a few of our friends and neighbors. We did one game- fishing. It was so nice to have Aunt Beedoh in town to celebrate with us! Kate misses both Annie and Aunt Beedoh who were each with us for a week while Kate's babysitter was on vacation.

I love the action and personalities in this photo! Kate's friends left to right: Baylie, Sophia, Ryan, Kate , Irene

Happy 2nd Birthday Kate!

Yesterday was Kate's 2nd birthday! I can't believe my baby is 2. We took it easy yesterday, after our crazy weekend. We plan to have a party in a few weeks to celebrate again!

"I love Jesus"

Kate said the sweetest thing the other day- she often asks to read her "Jesus book" (her picture Bible), but she also said "I love Jesus. He is a nice God. He is nice to me. He doesn't bite me."

More wedding photos