Baking day

 With temperatures in the single digits we have been spending LOTS of time indoors.

 The most recent Christmas acquisition of a cookie playset has kept this girl of mine happy for hours.

 Here you can see these awesome felted slippers I made this fall. They are definitely getting put through their paces and holding up well.  I used puffy paint on the soles for traction.

And I've been doing some nerdy knitting for myself. What's better than Tardis Socks??

we chase sunbeams

We chase sunbeams on Sunday mornings.

Norah's birthday dress

One of the fun things about having a girl is getting to make clothes for them, as I am slowly discovering.  It's been hectic around here and I hate to ignore this sweet mellow little gal while her exuberant brother has a big birthday bash filled with friends and fun.  

 I cut into some hoarded  Japanese Kokka fabric for this little reversible apron dress.  It is lined in pink Kona, with some ric rak and an appliqued matryoschka doll on the reverse. A couple vintage buttons from the button jar finish off the shoulders.

The series of photos was taken as Brian was taking a break working on the porch roof. She is all about walking everywhere, now!

Such a sweet dress for our sweet gal!  Now I gotta go windex the door again.  Happy birthday, Norah!

Bennett's Birthday

Cheesing it up for the camera

Not B-day related but Norah can now do this.

Custom made red velvet cupcakes with blue cream cheese frosting and a white chocolate lego mini fig.

 The dual piggy back ride is a skill that is passed down through the generations.

 Lil' B got a set of super hero masks for his birthday. The yard has never been safer.

 Thanks again Mom for making the trip down (and Aunt Amanda, too!). Your last minute party guidance was indispensable. You were right: spray paint was probably not good to leave out for a kids party. 

Big Girl

 

Does she smash her cake?
Oh, yes she does!

 

 The banana cake with a simple purple cream cheese frosting was a HIT!

 For the rest of us, I made a pink lemonade cake. Four layers of pink lemon cake in 2 shades of pink, frosted in a no-cook 7 minute frosting with coconut. Bennett's face says it all...

Happy birthday, baby girl!

Rolling Over!

Guess who can roll over from her back to her tummy? Yes! She is growing exponentially these days, changing rapidly and developing new skills faster than we can get the camera out.

Or dodge her big bother. We need to work on our reflexes.

Norah

It's hard having an older brother sometimes. That said, enjoy a little bit of Norah in all her 5 month old glory!

Quilty mail!

Look what just arrived from New Zealand!! My godmother sent along two quilts, one for each kiddo!
Each one is perfect for the kid intended.


Norah's batik pinwheel quilt has awesome baby animals appliqued in minky fabric with embroidered faces. So cute!


The white background is quilted in a tight stipple that accentuates the soft plushy animals.

I love how the bunny matches her little green onesie!



Bennett's is embroidered with cute Disney characters, check out the close up of Donald and you'll get a sense of the insane number of stitches this quilt required. Totally awesome!

It's become his favorite, as you can tell. I am still in awe that a little package could contain such wonderful gifts! Thanks a million, Anne!

sleep sacks

How can I begin to tell you how much I love these wacky gnomes from this print?? I got a yard to make myself an apron, but instead I made one for Bennett, and had enough left over to make Norah a sleep sack.
I used the pattern from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings book I got a while ago. It turned out so cute!! The back is more of the red and white dots, the inside is soft white flannel, and the binding is bias tape made from brown Kona cotton.
Ugg! So cute! I tried getting some shots of the gal in it, but she's a wiggle worm. I'll have to keep trying.

I used Riley Blake prints for the front of this one, following the pattern in the book. I had big plans for these fabrics (a quilt!) but time ran short, so here we are. It has brown flannel on the inside, and I used more of the brown Kona cotton for the trim. All in all, super cute, though the late afternoon photo shoot doesn't do the photos justice.

For the back I used my favorite print from the line, a green "Road Trip" pattern. This one is sent off to a new little guy, so here's hoping he enjoys it!

Guess who found her hands?

from the garden

The tomatoes are getting ripe, the eggplants are setting on, we have one pumpkin on the vine, the carrots are tender and sweet, and all is right with the world.

outtakes

some funny out takes from our little home photo shoot for her announcements!