Busyness

Some days I get so far as downloading the pictures off my camera, and some days I even come here thinking I will write something, but then I get distracted or busy or tired and just never do.  Then it's overwhelming to try to sort it out.  I asked Mike what we did Saturday, and neither one of us can remember 3 days earlier.  It doesn't help that I take tons of pictures that I have to sort through and choose from.  I also have a bunch of library books that are being neglected and sewing that is just sitting there waiting for me.  I try to answer emails every day or so and take care of phone calls and paying my few bills.  I guess it's good I'm no longer working!

I did get back in my sewing room and tweak it a little bit.  I managed to clear out some things I don't use often and make things more accessible.  I need to go in there and be able to sit down and find things, or I just turn around and come out.

I have a little over a month to complete the birthday table runner that I want to do before Katherine's first birthday.

I have all the squares cut out, although I didn't have enough blues and yellows that I liked.  There will be no more fabric buying when I don't have an empty shelf, so I made do.

This is all I've done, but so far it's looking okay.  I see some corners that don't exactly meet, but we can live with it.

If this one could get into those fabric squares, she would have a ball.

She spent 20 minutes yesterday playing with a little basket of measuring spoons.

The only other sewing I've done is repairing various things - Ryan's shorts, some small quilts, etc.

I noticed the other day that the pink dress I made years ago and went on and on about here was separating a little at the piping on the yoke.  

It hung in the closet for years at our house and then in Graysen's closet.  Now Emily has it hung in her room to enjoy.  The only problem is that she wants to wear it for dancing because it IS pretty twirly.  She calls it her Clara dress from the Nutcracker's Clara.  

She wanted to put it on one day last week, so I let her, thinking we would change later on in the day.  It was a beautiful day, and we went out on the deck to talk about it.   Graysen is all into adventures, so she decided Clara needed one.  It was the sweetest time, and it didn't bother me one bit to have her playing in that dress.  It's washable and repairable.  I have a picture of her mother stomping through mud puddles at about that age in a smocked dress.

These are some pictures from Clara's adventure.  Way too many pictures of this precious girl and the pink dress that was such fun to make.  Next year will probably be the year it fits like it should.

What better accessory to choose than pink boots.

And a tiara.

Maybe she's appreciating the smocking here.

Before the adventure, Pop Pop had to be placed in time out.  She found a sliver of a sweetener packet on the counter top with some sweetener spilled out.

She's showing him the time-out corner.

She told him not to put his hands behind his back.

She is sorry about it, but he has to learn to clean up his messes.

Lucky for Pop Pop that Katherine lightened the mood a little and freed him up.

The back yard is the perfect place for an adventure with the big rocks and bugs that sometimes crawl in and out of them.

Don't come with me, Mimi.  It's a deventure.

She made several collections and arranged them and rearranged them.

Lots of lava rocks that needed to be gathered (and a lot more to go).

Even with the fun and satisfaction of making this dress, Emily and I found a few dresses lately that do just nicely with very little effort and probably less than I could make them for.

We liked how comfortable this one looked from Baby Gap, I think.  It's knit at the top with an eyelet lined skirt.  Very reasonable.

Emily and I went into Target looking for Easter basket things and ended up seeing so many cute clothes.  This is one we bought, although we didn't like the pink trim on the aqua.  It's also lined and so soft.  And cheap.  When we showed it to Graysen, she loved it, Ryan saw no problem with the pink, and we'll probably take the easy way out and leave it alone.

That catches me up on nearly nothing but hopefully will give me incentive to continue tonight.   The weather is going to be warm and sunny for days now, so we have to make plans.  There's supposed to be a record high tomorrow of 81!