I sew. Really.

Here is the apron that I have been working on (10 minutes at a time for the last 2 weeks and almost all afternoon today) for my niece's birthday tomorrow. I hope she likes it . I do.
The best part is that I completely designed it myself. That means that I had to go back for a bit more fabric this morning and ripping out a few stitches but overall it makes me feel very accomplished.

A LOVES the Park!

So I mentioned that A and I went for 2 walks the other day. Well the next day we went back to the park with Granny. I remembered to bring the little camera to take a few photos for your delight.

He started out slow by just playing with the tic-tac-toe blocks...
and the steering wheel...Then trying to coax a new friend to come slide down the slide...
After a while he got brave enough to think about crossing the bridge...
See ma, if I just hold on I'll be fine.
Peek a Boo. Don't worry, I won't climb over it for at least another week or two...
Alright. What's next?
What about the slide?
Granny's dog, Jack, came to the park too. It was almost as if A was saying...
Are you watchin' Granny?
Weee. I like the slide now that I can do it by myself.
And look, I can climb back up too.
I look forward to our next day in the park with you buddy. I had a lot of fun watching you.

Several Weeks Ago...

I learned to make jam with my favorite aunt & uncle.

We made peach...
and pineapple...Didn't they turn out pretty?
I loved cooking in my aunt's magnificent kitchen. It is so roomy with lots of counter space and almost every tool one could imagine needing. I look forward to canning with her again. Next time though I think we will do it when my uncle is out of town. This turned into a BIG Doug project!

Thanks Aunt Phyllis. I had a ton of fun.

I should be in bed but I'm not.

I went for 2 walks today. This morning A and I walked over to the park about 10 minutes from here. It was going to be a much longer walk but we got sidetracked by the fun playground equipment. Then this evening we walked to Granny's house. I feel like a kid pulling my dolly in the wagon sometimes. Many people will look and smile. I makes me feel nostalgic.
We did laundry today as well as the regular dailies. I spend a lot of time taking care of the house (still) and really am evaluating what I do on a daily basis and what can be condensed either to bi-weekly or even as little as once per month (since it feels like that is what I am doing anyway). That is another topic for another day.
Today I should have been making an apron for a certain soon-to-be 4 year old niece but I spent the Nap Time on the phone and cleaning instead. Ah well there is always tomorrow to try to get it done.
Well if I want any chance of waking up tomorrow with a smile on my face I need to go clean up the kitchen and get to bed.

3 things I wish I could tell my 18 year old self

So 27 isn't that far from 18 but since I recently read something similar here I thought I'd give this a go. I picked 18 because I made a serious mistake that changed my life.

1. Stay in high school until you are done! It is much harder to get back to this point in 6 years. And go to college! It will change your experience a ton.
2. Dad is not the be all end all. You will need to learn and think for yourself. You are not an extension of him. The sooner you learn this lesson the better.
3. You are a beautiful woman. Learn to tell yourself this no matter what. Don't let Tom tell you otherwise.

Is there anything you'd like to tell yourself at 18 or even 20?

A grey day with a little ray of light

At the beginning of the year I made a resolution to lose 30 lbs. Today when I got on the scale I saw that I am only 4 lbs away from that goal. Picture my happy dance. Just thought I'd share a smile on an otherwise gloomy rainy day.

Beautiful Paper Lily

I have been so busy for the last couple of weeks that I haven't created a single thing. BLAH! So the other day I was listening to an audiobook that mentioned something about origami. This leads me to add scrapbook paper to my dollar store list. Today before the baby shower I needed to stop at said dollar store and pick up a bow and miscellaneous other goodies.
Tonight following a dinner with sister & brother in law and getting little man to sleep I decided to look for a simple origami instruction. I found this beautiful (and easy) tutorial over here and made this:

Isn't it pretty. I think I may make a few of these and put them in my vases in the living room. Maybe a couple of sizes too. I now feel like this unstuck my creative backup that I was experiencing. I have high hopes to at least begin my pretty red top this week. (I should also work on dad's curtains but I think I can hold off for a little while longer.)