A finished scarf...

While Tante was in town, she brought me a "fancy" scarf pattern, taught me how to read it and walked me through it. Well.... I finished it. It was so exciting to finish it within a relatively short time period. I had a little wool left over, so I knit a small version of the scarf for baby girl. I finished that last night.

What inspires you?

I love to create... sew, craft, knit, scrap, etc. However, sometimes (like now) I can't get inspired. I have all kinds of ideas swirling and I can't seem to get myself to sit down and do them. I have other things to do... dishes, laundry, tend to the yard, make beds, etc. So, the questions I have are... What inspires you? and How do you get it done?


This photo taken on a recent family hike on Horse Tail Falls overlooking the Columbia River Gorge... it really is breathtaking!

Kids Knit

Tante was in town and gave everyone a knitting lesson. I was stunned at how well the kids did. They didn't get frustrated, took turns and made her knit with them ALL day! What a great Tante!

Wall Art

BEFORE
This picture wall has been driving me crazy for some time. We had new pictures taken and they just didn't fit on the wall correctly. The thought of taking them all down and rearranging seemed daunting. So, yesterday I finally did it. It was on my list of summer projects. I'm pleased, however, I need advice on the "family" letters. Should I get rid of the ribbon that I tied on? Do I need thicker ribbon, a different color? HELP!

AFTER

Pearl 2

My sister-in-law is in town and I forced her to sit down and teach me more about knitting. I've been doing the garter stitch, but I'm ready to move forward. I can now pearl! Yeah for me. I'm now looking for simple patterns that I can use my new found skill on. Learning to pearl was so much easier than I thought it would be. Here is my practice piece... (don't worry, it isn't anything... so if you just asked yourself "What is it?" The answer is nothing... it's just practice :) )

Boys...

Finneous: Mom, can I vacuum?

Me: Wondering if he's ill... sure!
Off he goes... his future wife can thank me now :)


Okay... so I know he's only doing this to earn extra money, but it worked, he has me wrapped around his little finger today. As my boys are getting older (6 1/2 and 8 years) I need resources for raising them. Any suggestions? Many of my friends have girls, and they talk about all of these great books... but I need some for boys. Leave me a comment with a title if you've got one!

What's eating my zucchini?

Something is eating my zucchini! What is it? Any ideas?
Do you see it... my lovely green zucchini is half eaten! What's a not-that-great gardener to do?

On a brighter note... I'm very proud of the vignette I created on the back patio... the little bench came from Baby Girl's room. She had too much furniture and never uses it. Guess what... now all three of the munchkins are sitting on it among the flowers!

Trading Spaces - Kids (or something like that)

So, I'm sure you've all seen Trading Spaces on TLC... somewhere out there is a Trading Spaces - kid version. My boys have been intrigued with it... wanting a new bedroom, etc. So, while they were away today, I pulled my own Trading Spaces... basically just a surprise for them. Here are the pics...

So, I rushed home and began painting. I was nervous and then decided that if it was horrible I could always repaint the wall. I learned to just go for it and give it a try! Not perfect, but fun.

The sheets are filled with footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, baseballs, etc. The blanket is fleece... lightweight and very cozy. Unfortunately, there was only one of the ball themed fleece blankets (draped at the bottom of the bed)... I think that I'm going to use it to recover their throw pillows. It was a bargain at $4... love Target!


My boys collect things... now they each have a "treasure chest" to store them in. (only $6 at Target)!

The boys were thrilled with their new room. I let them "find" it when they returned home. Pepe found it first and ran to get Finneous to show it off... Baby girl is a little bent out of shape...

Crafting with the kids

With inspiration from here the kids created their own 4th of July rocks. I only wish that I'd have prepared sooner and gone out to find some great rocks. We settled for rocks we found in our yard... which were pretty small. Next time we're out exploring we will definitely look for nice rocks to paint. The kids are waiting for their creations to dry... so that they can add more paint!

Baby Girl - age 4 1/2

Finneous - Age 6 1/2

Pepe - Age 8

When I uploaded the pictures it was very interesting to see their paint progression by age.

The crafting table.
Happy 4th...

Hey, Mom

Pepe: Hey, Mom... I thought of a new game.
Me: Oh, Yeah...
Pepe: I want to call it foccer, but Dad says I need to think of something else.
Me... trying not to die... giggling... say foccer 3 times out loud... see what I mean?
Pepe: I wonder why I can't call it foccer?
Me: Well, if Daddy says to change it, you'd better change it.
Pepe: Yeah, I think I'll call it socball.
Me: Good...

Just saw this...

darling pillow case dress on this site. It is so cute and perfect for baby girl (who's almost 5... not such a baby) for the summer. I'm going to give it a try this weekend. I'll let you know how I do.