ruffle skirts

I really enjoy making something out of nothing!  My good friend Emily sent me this tutorial that shows you how to make these cute skirts out of old t-shirts!   It’s a great tutorial, took me about an hour and a half to sew both of them (and I’m slow).  Both of them were my shirts I had stained and look much better on my girls as skirts.  I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.  I decided to make some little flower pins with the extra shirt fabric to embellish their shirts or hair or whatever they are wearing (that way I can still use their shirts for other things).  Go find some shirts in your closet and try this out! 

Obviously, my girls were more in the mood to play than take pictures, oh well.  Special thanks to Mom for letting me borrow their camera (and mailing it the day after I announced mine was broken) so I could take these pictures.

back in the shop

My camera fell off a side table I was vacuuming under last week and hit the ground, lens first onto the carpet. It was in it's case but when I tried to use it the lens couldn't focus. I tried focusing manually but it wouldn't turn. So I tried to switch lenses and I couldn't get the lens off! I'm so worried and upset!!

Please come back to me soon camera and 50mm lens, I miss you and want you to come home. And if it's not too much trouble, please don't cost an arm and a leg to repair.

frogs in Daddy’s pants and more shoes

Sunday morning at the breakfast table (who am I kidding?… we don’t have any other table, but our table is so small that it is surely meant to be a breakfast table), anyway, Dan passed some gas.  Nothing gross, very distinguished, in the privacy of our own home, gas. 

I joked, “What was that?”

Sophie answered, “It was a frog!”

(giggling)  “A frog?”

“Yeah Mom, where’s the frog?”

I look over and she’s searching behind and underneath Daniel for a frog.  Tessa sees the commotion and, not knowing what she’s looking for, joins in the frog hunt. 

Later that night Sophie passed gas and announced, “Mommy, that was a frog!”  So she gets it after all.

I laughed so hard I cried.  Sophie is such a funny girl, I love my kids.

I made another pair of shoes for Tessa today.  I bought some suede leather for the bottom to give durability and grip.  What do you like better, green leaves or no?  Not in love with the shade of green I have.  Anyway, crafting makes me happy!

red shoes, everybody should have a pair

 

I am quite proud of these little shoes I whipped up for Tessa yesterday afternoon!  I saw some really cute ones on a friends blog and wanted to try it out.  I found this tutorial and just made a pattern by looking at some of Tessa’s shoes.  I was skeptical that they would work out so I used some scrap fabric even though I didn’t have matching thread.   Probably cost me less than 20 cents each.  They are FAR from perfect, but Tessa likes them anyway.  I plan to make more for sure!  What do you think?  Any suggestions on how to make them better?  I had a hard time getting my pieces to fit together evenly.

lovin’ on Uncle Matt

Dan’s brother came to town last week for some job interviews.  Sophie seems to really like boys lately and it didn’t take long for her to warm up to Matt.  Ironically, he graduates from dental school in Virginia the EXACT SAME DAY as Dan graduates from law school here in Denver!  So their parents will just have to divide and conquer.  Anyway, it was fun having Matt around for a few days.  It’s fun to see Dan and Matt together and realize how similar their mannerisms and sense of humor are.  Unfortunately, Dan and I still had to go to school and work while he was here so poor Matt spent a lot of time in our apartment just missing his wife and newborn baby.  Here they are “bonding” as they show off their personal electronic devices.

 

We did make a trip to the zoo, but forgot the camera.  And we had other plans but Tessa got sick and we had to just stay home.  

We really hope he gets a good offer here in Denver, it would be so cool to have family in town!

peas have shells

I didn’t know it until March 1st 2010, but peas have shells.

I apologize for the picture, I don’t have a macro lens and had to shoot this far away and then crop it.  Anyway, let me show you who made this discovery (about the pea shells):

Yep my sweet little Sophie girl figured it out for me!  Sophie used to eat EVERYTHING and eat really well.  She would try new things and liked most anything.  Oh my how times have changed!  She lives off of crackers, milk, and chicken nuggets for the most part.  Why the peas?  Well, we went in for Sophie’s 3 year check up last week:

Weight:  33.4 lbs (77%)

Height:  37 1/4 inch (46%) – still surprised she wasn’t taller, she has been really sprouting lately!

And at Sophie’s check up the doctor asked me about Sophie’s diet:

Me:  She’s a picky eater, won’t really eat ANY fresh fruits or vegetables any more, I don’t know what to do with her!

Dr:  Not any?

Me:  No, she cries if they are on her plate or too close to her on the table.

Dr: (laughs) Keep trying.

And try I did!  When we got home I made her a plate with her usual lunch of chicken nuggets and ketchup, but I added a heaping pile of peas.  She cried at first but I put her in time out until she would eat some.  And she did eat a few until she decided that popping them out of their shells was more fun.  I did get her to start popping them into her mouth so she ate some pea insides!  Anyone have advice on how to get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables?  I would love some.

Here are a few random pictures taken of Sophie recently.