Basketball

Timmy is so happy that the weather is warmer.  I think we need to raise the net...

Daddy has been assisting with the offensive skill development...

But defense still needs some help.  :)

Butterfly Friends

After receiving a butterfly kit from his cousin for Christmas, Timmy finally got caterpillars in the mail.  Every time he saw the box in the closet he wanted to get his "new friends" and I had to explain that we needed to wait until the snow melted and the air warmed.  The only hiccup in the process was the holdup in the mail; he had to watch an extra couple of days before they eventually got to our house.  We had great fun watching them grow and eventually hang from the lid.

We transferred them to the netted cage and waited...

And welcomed 4 of the 5 butterflies into our yard yesterday (one is still hanging in their chrysalis).  These are Painted Lady butterflies that come with the kit.  I couldn't get a picture through the netting, but Timmy really enjoyed watching their "tongues" unroll and drink from the orange slice we fed them.

Easter and Signs of Spring

Saturday morning we headed over to the Egg Scramble that our town puts on.  So impressed that he was smiling despite crying his eyes out 10 minutes previously because the Easter bunny got a little too close.  :)  I have no aspirations for a happy santa or bunny picture with this kid ever.  

Our lilac bushes are loaded with blooms!  I am praying for no deep freezes in the coming weeks, a very real danger for our area so we can enjoy our bushes after waiting for 3 years!  All of the lilies are several inches high, bushes are all leafing out, and the rhubarb is a good 8 inches tall.

Post egg dying...playing with some baking soda and mixing colors.

Egg hunt in the backyard following church.  Everyone indulged in our annual Easter afternoon nap.  It got really warm here and Timmy spent the rest of the afternoon digging holes in the garden.  Only a couple more weeks and we will be planting.  :)

Timmy's March

This pretty much sums up anything really interesting that has been happening in our house.  Jared is in the midst of Lent services at church; I haven't been up to much other than dishes, laundry, and trying to purge a little as the spring cleaning itch has hit.  Timmy leads a much more entertaining life...

"School" - Timmy inherited an old school desk from his cousin Cole and likes to pretend to do school. He could really care less about coloring, but loves a good dot-to-dot, maze, or matching game.  I am disappointed to announce that I think he has decided on a hand and it is not his left.

"Trains" - lots and lots of train this month.

"Milk" - He has been transitioning night time pump drips to the daytime.  We are up to 3 8oz servings a day, which means he is only getting 12 oz at night, which means Jared and I are sleeping through the night for the first time in 4 years.  It has been life changing!

"Stickers" - what little boy doesn't love tractor stickers?

"Dirt" - We are thankful for warming temperatures, long times of fresh air, the bathtub, and quick bedtimes.

"Dirt and Worms" - He names all of his new friends Wormy.

"Narwhal Hunting" - He is on a narwhal kick.  He also sings songs as he sails in his boat.  I think he would make a perfect sea captain.

"More Dirt" - There are no plants in the garden yet, but Timmy is taking up tilling the entire plot by hand very seriously.  And I am doing more laundry.  :)

Week 3 of 4x7 Challenge

Well, I kind of fell flat on my face this week with sewing.  I made a cute little drawstring bag for my little knitting projects and then I got sick, Timmy got sick, and then Jared got sick.  We were just a lovely family of sickies last week.  :)  All are better now and I am already halfway through the final week of this challenge and doing better.

I used this tutorial, again.  :)

It is just the nicest pattern and the cutest little bag.  I really need to buy 

the pattern so I can make all of the different sizes.

And now my little zip pouch that holds my knitting tools matches my bigger bag and my smaller bag!

I got some more done on my sock, too.  I survived the heel and gusset, so on to the toe I will be marching!

Week 2 of 4x7 Challenge

So, I got some stuff done this week!  Woohoo!  The weight of my self-inflicted project due dates lifting off of my shoulders feels good.

Small Christmas quilt - done.  It measures 35"x42", perfect for throwing over the top of a chair or using with a wheelchair.  Not sure where this is going yet, but I think my mom has her eye on it and she gets first dibs.  :)   I tried a new border pattern and it isn't perfect, but I was really happy with it for the first time.

I love the back.  :)  It is another gray day here, so it looks yellow, but it matches the cooler tan colors of the front.

Baby Quilt - done.  2 out of 4 piles of half triangle squares used up!  This is just a little guy, measuring up at 28"x28", but it would be great to roll up in the diaper bag.  If it doesn't find a home by this summer, it is a strong candidate to donate for our Project Linus collection our quilt guild does.

Yellow minky on the back.  Working on evenly spacing my meandering line is a goal of mine...little uneven, but improving!

"take my picture with daddy, mom!"

A pretty little ring of posies, waiting to go on a workbag for myself.  I went to get a solid gray from our local fabric store and they were all out, so hopefully it comes soon so I can finish this up before the end of the month!  (These are 3/4" hexagons if you are curious)

In other crafty news, I learned how to knit a sock!  It isn't a whole sock, but I did it really larger so I could really see what I was doing and I made it through the heel and gusset steps, so it will be ripped out and rewound for another project.  So exciting!  (does anyone else have random stickers stuck to their coffee table?)

Here is my first official sock, thanks to my secret pal at quilt guild.  She knows I like yarn, too, and got me this beautiful sock yarn for my birthday and with it the motivation to get my first pair done.  It is going to take forever with size 1 needles, but it will be great project to take on the road!

And on a sad note...I got ready to baste my swoon quilt this morning and my 90" backing that I bought last spring was not cut correctly and is only 80" wide.  My quilt is 82".  Sigh.  On the plus side, the backing is a neutral tan swirl, so it will work for something else.  On the negative side, this quilt isn't going to get done this week.

Linking up!

 

 

Happy Valentines Day!

A zoned-out-I-just-woke-up-from-nap kiss for you!  

:)

And here is something from yesterday...

a little video of the crazy monster truck driving that goes on in our living room...

Week 1 of 4x7 Challenge

So, I am doing this challenge over at Berry Barn Designs to sew everyday for 30 minutes during the month of February (hence the name, 4x7 challenge) and this is my progress report.  I am a little late posting this because I was waiting for nicer weather outside for pictures, but it has been dreary so the colors are off.  I guess you take what you can get during the winter!

First, I used up one set of half triangle squares to make this cute baby blanket.  I ordered some extra border fabric for the coordinating larger quilt, so this thing will get some borders and a scrappy backing as soon as I get figure out how to use the fabric up in the best way.  I am hoping to have this basted in the next couple of days.  I don't have any plans for this quilt, but it will be handy to have one on hand for giving.  :)

Second, I used up another pile of half triangle squares and made a lap quilt.  It is 36" x 42" which happens to be the perfect size for a wheel chair or a really small throw.  It is basted and ready to quilt, which will happen hopefully this week or next.

My swoon quilt is put together and bordered!  Since I took this picture, the border fabric came in the mail and I have it attached (I opted to eliminate the white borders between the blocks and add a colored one around the edge.  I love it!).  At some point I will get down on my hands and knees and get this thing basted so it can be quilted, too.  It is a big quilt (84"x84") so that is a pretty big undertaking and one that involves the moving of furniture to get a big enough space to lay the whole thing out!  Tigger is thrilled that I am invading her space.

Finally, a little clamshell pillow for my living room chair!  I have been following along on this challenge, but not really inspired to take on a whole quilt, so a pillow will do nicely.  You attach the clamshells one row at a time, so it looks a little funny now, but I think it will turn out super cute.  Don't mind the wrinkles, apparently I left it out in the living room and it was in Timmy's way, so he crammed it behind the couch cushions for a couple of hours.  :)

Not too shabby for a week, now on to week 2!  I have already made some good strides with the quilts above and I am hoping to get that baby quilt ready to quilt and then switch my machine and brain over into quilting mode.  I have a pile of quilts ready to go!

South Dakota Puddle Duck

...appears in the spring and sometimes during the winter thaw, when temperatures rise (73!) following snow and create large expanses of muddy terrain and puddles.

Garden update:  nothing is happening and hoping it stays that way!  We have a week of warmer weather forecasted, which is awesome, but I am hoping all the buds stay closed and I have lilacs this spring!

February Fun and Sewing Goals

BOO!

spider drawing (all of a sudden he is interested in drawing anything...only took 4 years!)

whistle pig pretending

February = half triangle square month

I save all of my triangle scraps from quilts and so far have made the effort to do the extra seams while sewing the original quilt.  I have 4 piles of squares sitting around that need to be used up!  I have 3 piles ironed and trimmed.  (I made myself a little pressing station out of a tv table, isn't it cute!?!)

Pile one (above) will be a baby quilt.

pile 2 = small winter lap quilt 

pile 3 = little stars (finishing at 6") that will probably be added to little zipper bags or pouches

pile 4 (still in the bag, untrimmed) = probably a table runner or two

February quilt goal = finish this Swoon quilt!  

I won the fabric 2 summers ago (yay!) and put the blocks together last winter during my quilt guild retreat (yay!).  They have been sitting in a bag since (boo!), can you tell?!?!  Looking forward to having this one out of to-do pile!  I am doing a bunch of piecing this week with the above projects, making a couple more knitting bags, waiting for some border fabric I just ordered for the Swoon and winter quilts, and then switching my machine (and brain) over to quilting mode and kicking out several projects.  I have joined a challenge to sew 30 minutes everyday during February.  It is supposed to be selfish sewing - projects for yourself - but honestly, getting my to-do pile will bring some serious relief as I sometimes stress about my self-imposed timelines.  

Yay for being Type A.  :)