a few nature outings and a sewing project

this was a gorgeous afternoon spent on a well-shaded waimanalo beach. i took lots of adorable pics of the kids and scott playing in this big hole, but the kids were in their birthday suits as usual... i'm starting to feel like i shouldn't be putting my kids' nakey bums on the internet so much.

even my crapola camera can sort of convey the perfection of this day:

the following four pictures were at the lyon arboretum, where i take the kids for a walk sometimes. having a little non-stressful interaction with nature seems to put us all in a better mood. at the arboretum it is nice and cool-ish, there are groomed paths, and of course lots of beautiful trees, flowers and plants that we all enjoy.

the kids love this gazebo and pond with its amazing water lillies that mommy can't stop taking closeups of... and sometimes there are frogs!

awww...

and here's a little gift i made for a small friend's birthday. usually i make all the birthday gifts we give away to friends. they'd probably enjoy something from the toystore a lot more, but oh well... i just like doing it.


this here's a toolbelt. i made a similar one for aidan as a test run. they both turned out pretty satisfactory. we kept the hammer for aidan so that ryan's parents wouldn't hate me too much.


the other tools i think are fairly harmless: phillips and flat head screwdrivers, plyers, measuring tape, a tiny clamp, and iddy-biddy adjustable wrench.

that's all for now folks.

a dress for ivy

i'd been eyeing this fabric at the fabric store for some time, and it finally got the better of me. i like the little yellow rebel ducks going the wrong way. the colors are great, despite what my lame camera would have you believe. i bought a half a yard which was the perfect amount to make this little dress for ivy. this was one of those sewing projects where the stars aligned, i winged it with no pattern, and everything turned out peachy. a very rare occurence for me.

front

back

it's a simple drawstring design. the drawstring acts as the straps and also creates cute gathers around the top of the dress. the string ties at the front where there's a small slit (finished with a little placket). sorry if you don't give a hoot about sewing but i was rather pleased with how this turned out. i'm hoping this design will allow the dress to function as a top as she gets bigger, as it's very roomy and the straps can be made as long as you please by loosening the drawstring.

the model shots:

and the funny faces:

(my favorite)

"helping" around the house

recently i ordered some stuff from this montessori online store as sort of a birthday present for aidan. it's hard to find good quality, child-sized household items that aren't simply toys, y'know? a kid can feel good about himself when he has the proper-sized tools for the job-- that actually work. and my kids like to "help" with housework (which usually means more work for me). anyway, we're so happy with the things we ordered (oh the excitement of receiving something in the mail!), which include a sturdy broom, dustpan and whisk broom, gardening gloves (sword-fighting gloves if you're aidan), a window cleaning set, small pitchers and glasses, a tiny glass juicer, a vegetable chopper, an apple slicer... i believe that's the bulk of it.

anyway, in the catalogue aidan saw this clothesline stand and proclaimed that he needed one. i remembered that i had a folding stool from the olden days that never got used anymore-- it now has a new life as a clothesline. ivy wanted to use it too, so fighting ensued-- good thing there were two of those old stools. since that was too easy, i had to make a couple goofy little bags to house the mini clothespins previously purchased at the craftstore (when you see them, you really just buy them without a second thought because that's how cute they are). so here are some pics of the kids helping with some of the daily work--hanging out the diapers--and enjoying it.

deep concentration.

ivy, always watching her brother.

ivy puts the clothespins on upside-down. and takes them all off. and takes the items off the clothesline. and puts it back. etc.

the quickly-made clothespin bags. they tie on to the wooden frame of the reincarnated stools. ah, there's nothing like an easy, pleasing, home-made thingamabob for which you have all the materials right at home. my only regret is the hideous florescent yellow twine i had to use for the clotheslines.

hello again

so it's been a gazillion years since my last post, so i'll just put up a bunch of pictures rather than feel overwhelmed about having to write a long update about our family and this is already taking forever because aidan keeps trying to bite me and thinks it's a really fun game. now he's hungry. now he's trying to climb on me. sigh. now he's placing his fingers over the keyboard threateningly. so anyway, we went on a trip to california, got married, came home, kids got sick a couple of times, both cars broke down at the same time (scott fixed both of them-- it's nice to have such a handy guy around), and the kids and i were stranded at home for a week or so. it wasn't bad though-- ivy was sick with roseola most of the time anyway. so here are some pictures from the last couple of months:

scott and a friend paddling out.

aidan going surfing

ivy, about to indulge in a sand snack

ivy, indulging

fun with paint

the artiste

summer splashing fun with a friend, colin

a bonnet i made for ivy during our home quarantine

the bonnet again-- i'm kind of obsessed with bonnets at the moment, probably due to angry chicken's really cute one. this is my own pattern though and i guess i'm pretty happy with it. i've already made a second one with the brim more rounded at the bottoms and i like that one even more.

and a silly little flowerpot pincushion i made while stuck at home. i guess i've been feeling crafty. i also made a GINORMOUS bag to put all my crap in when i go on outings with both the kids. i love how it came out but it's a little overkill-- i could probably fit both the kids in it. hmm...

that's a doll i recently made, sans her dress. i love stumbling upon sights like this

and this

this was a glorious santa cruz evening on west cliff, where our "honeymoon" b&b was. that's all for now folks.

i made bread. and a doll.

have you heard of the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day? apparently it's all the rage in baking circles. i've never made bread before because of all the kneading, rising for hours on end, do i add flour? do i add water? etc. but NOW-- it really is the easiest thing ever. you mix the yeast, salt, flour and water in very large container, let it rise for a couple hours or so, stick in it the fridge with an airtight lid and chill for at least three hours. then cut of a piece, shape into a loaf, let it sit for 40 minutes, stick in in the oven and bake. voila. looks like bread, tastes like bread, NO KNEADING. you can get the master recipe here, and the book has all sorts of variations on that recipe.

mmm, fresh from the oven.

and here's raggedy medusa:

she's a birthday present for one of aidan's playmates.
i know she's all wonky and her arms are too long, but i think she turned out okay.
she was somewhat inspired by this doll. at least the hair.
she was fun to make and a bit more difficult than i thought she'd be...

here's her back

and here's another little doll

and aidan the conquerer

shortly before she peed on the blanket

let me just see that camera for a minute...

aidan's new ride

this is aidan's christmas present which couldn't wait for christmas. after today i think i will never go to toys r us again--so much plastic junk all i could think of was LANDFILL. notice the glazed look in his eyes. when it was finally assembled he spent the first half hour just getting in, closing the door, opening the door, getting out, closing the door, opening the door, repeat. and making very loud exclamations about it. he is thrilled, so that makes me happy, even though i swore i would never buy this type of plastic monstrosity for my kids. and thanks to my mom, i know there will be plenty of gifts for him to open on christmas morn... talk about spoiled rotten...
anyhoo, here are some other snaps of aidan's daily life, and another bag i made for another friend.

stuff i've made lately

here's aidan the other day. i sewed a truck onto one of his t-shirts because he's hopelessly obsessed with trucks, cars, heavy equipment, etc. i didn't know it would start this early. he's holding the truck in his left hand and making his sign for "drive" (shaking fist back and forth, like holding a steering wheel) with his right. he does this sign so often he looks like he has parkinson's or something. today when we went on a walk we saw an excavator at a construction site, and when we said "bye bye" to it he cried most of the way home. this too shall pass.






and here are some bags i've made for friends. actually the
one hanging on the left is MINE, and i love the fabric. as usual the photo is terrible, but i do in fact have the world's worst camera. the shoulder bag i made from this tutorial, and the handbag and clutch are patterns from amy karol's book Bend-The-Rules Sewing. the wallet i made for myself as well. i am moderately pleased with how they all turned out-- not too bad for a rookie, i say. bags are so fun and easy to make. off to the library now, when i should be starting dinner... oooooooooh welllllllll........

testing

okay, now i'm learning how to add a link. i made these ornaments from this tutorial/pattern at allsorts. sorry about the horrible blurriness, but the other option is the dreaded flash.