You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2008.
We found a friend for Mr. Pickle.
Taking a walk one evening a few weeks ago, I happened to glance down at the sidewalk and saw another snail shell! Charlotte got to name this one, and she decided on Macaroni-and-cheese. Only her most frequently requested meal ever!
So, how do snails mate?
Been pretty busy around here. The children (all three!) are taking a long-weekend vacation to Grampa and Gramma’s house this weekend, so we’ve been busy getting ready for that. We have a garden now, too, and after all the rain we’ve had the past several days, I checked this morning and surprise! Things seem to be doing really well! We planted green and red bell pepper plants, zucchini, yellow squash, 6 tomato plants, and various flowers in between. I also discovered another surprise in the garden. I think our neighbors cat likes to use it as a potty. Yuck. I sprinkled pepper all over the place, because I think I remember this works as a cat deterrent. Is this true?
I’ve also been busy sewing lately: the girls really needed some summer pajamas, and I have been wanting to use a Burda pattern I’ve had for awhile. I used the style on the smaller girl model.
Whilst thrifting several weeks ago I found a twin flat sheet that seemed just perfect to use for the fabric for pajamas.
The whole project turned out just great. This was one of those sewing projects where the whole time I was thinking “This isn’t going to turn out as great as I think it will.” I have never used Burda before, and I have heard not-so-great things about them. But the pattern was just fine (although different and confusing at times…anyone else ever used Burda?) and it fit Ivy perfectly. I also had another bedsheet that I found at a yard sale last summer that I have been saving for a project such as this. I decided to make a matching pair of pajamas for Charlotte, and they turned out equally well. No pictures of that fabric by itself, but I do have pictures of the finished products. On beautiful models.
Here’s some detail on Charlotte’s collar. I found just enough green baby ric-rac in the bottom of a sewing drawer to set off the collar.
While the wee ones are away, Scott is whisking me away to here for one night, before we pick everyone up on Monday. A change of pace and scenery should be really nice!
Happy Birthday Ivy!
What can I say about our sweet Ivy?
::you have a contagious giggle.
::you love to serve others, and often ask Mommy how you can help with things around the house.
::you love to sit and look at your Bible, “reading” it.
::you have the most beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair. People approach us when we are out and comment on what a pretty girl you are; this happened even when you were a tiny baby.
::you love to sit and draw pictures, and your artwork is getting more and more intricate.
::you often sing or chatter to yourself when you are working on something, especially when you are concentrating. When you are nervous about something (learning to ride a bike) you giggle and sing at the same time.
::you thoroughly enjoy being around other people. The more the merrier, we think.
::you are fascinated with princesses.
::you love to snuggle, and enjoy cozy days at home. If someone is lying down on the couch, you get a blanket and snuggle with them. All this is especially when rain is in the forecast.
::you have long legs and run very quickly. Most people agree you look much older than your actual age.
::you love to wear dresses, and ask every day to wear one.
::you made a birthday card for yourself. So sweet.
::you sometimes start giggling at something, and can’t stop laughing.
::you remind Mommy of herself.
::for your birthday dinner you requested macaroni and cheese, vegetables, and a dessert of fruit and sour cream with brown sugar sprinkled on top. Sounds good to us.
We played this song for the birthday girl this morning, and she’s been singing it ever since.
We love you Ivy! You are a blessing to our family.
I had the glorious opportunity to visit the Durham County Library book sale on Saturday. Wow. Really fun. Not only were the people interesting to watch (Durham is quite the place), but there were so many books! For sale, and cheap! They had rows and rows of children’s books, and Sara and I stopped there first. It was like shopping for candy…just picking out book after book and throwing it into my basket. So many good ones. Some were rare finds that I never thought I’d run across (like A Hole Is To Dig by Ruth Krauss, a book by Kate Greenaway, and Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets, and we love her). I am able to cross off a few books from our wishlist, which is wonderful! I was also able to find a few books from this reading program, which we are planning on doing seriously in the fall. It is great to book-hunt with a friend, especially Sara who knows so much about good children’s reading. She often introduces me to great books for the children that I probably wouldn’t have picked up on my own. Occasionally I do the same for her, and it is a lot of fun to share ideas. She introduced me to this children’s book, Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen, which she found at the sale, and I have completely fallen in love with it. The illustrations are just precious, and the story is something we have been thinking about a lot lately with all the new construction going up around here and watching some beautiful old houses get torn down. You’ll have to read it to get the whole story. I introduced her to this book, and it’s wonderful. We listen to the song after we read it, and I can tell it’ll be a treat for this summer. Already a favorite in our summer book basket.
We are all getting ready for a big girl to turn 5 tomorrow. More pictures to come to celebrate that.
Ivy is learning to ride a bicycle, and it is a really big deal around here. She still gets a little nervous on the downhills, but she’s getting better with each try.
She likes to ride to the next corner and wait for us there (we can still see her),
and as she rides away into the sunset, she calls out to me, “I’ll see you at the next corner Mommy! And I’ll be really brave!”
Scott built a raised garden bed for us, to start growing more vegetables and herbs this summer.
He did a great job on it, and it is so exciting to have more room to grow a garden! Asher stood at the window a long time watching Daddy working. He occasionally commented to Daddy on how the work was going.
He watched for quite a while. It’s pollen season and I know I should have kept the windows closed, but I just couldn’t help it.
Check out those beautiful curls! Sigh. Delicious! I never want to cut them off.
There has been a lot of sewing going on around here, when I can squeeze it in. No recent pictures to share, but I am working on recovering our couch pillows and with only two done (out of 10), it is looking much better and brighter. I’ll try to get pictures when I get a few more done.
Random.
::this is very inspiring.
::this is very good.
::the Durham library book sale is this Saturday and I can’t wait! Although we have no more usable shelf space for children’s books, this is a rare, once-a-year opportunity and I can’t pass it up. I’ll have to box the books up until we can find a good bookshelf to replace the too-small one that the children use now for their books. Sigh. C’mon, craigslist. Post me some bookshelves!
::I made a fabulous cookie recipe from this cookbook, and oh boy. They are really good. I have to remember that low-fat doesn’t necessarily mean good-for-you. Meaning I can’t eat some for breakfast. Sigh. Maybe just one?
::here’s a funny story. Several months ago, Scott went target shooting at our friend Eli’s house. Eli and Dawn live on several acres, and they had a good time practicing some shooting. (I have a picture somewhere, I just can’t find it right now.) I don’t remember the exact conversation, but we must have explained to the girls that Daddy went to Mr. Eli’s house to shoot at pieces of paper (not Bambi) with a gun…….
Cut to last week. We are sitting around the table at dinner, and Ivy and Charlotte started talking about changing seasons. Ivy asks, “Do men hunt deers in the fall?”
“Yes,” I answered. “With guns.”
“Oh.” She was thoughtful for a minute. “But Daddy doesn’t hunt deers. He hunts paper!”
And we leave you with a movie of Asher. Have a great week everyone!
