Pictures to share!

This month was (as predicted) much more productive. Most, if not all, of that productivity was forced. I do like to sew, but really, my hobbies have taken a back seat. Parental obligation to the rescue!

Sharks

Eve modeling Aurora's spider costume

Aurora's class put on an opera. I made a few costumes and a lot of props (btw anyone in need of a GIANT pink glittered egg? Really, free for the taking). The kids were so cute and they LOVED their costumes. I was really surprised by how many of the kids thanked me for making their props and costumes. Such sweet kids. Both the shark and spider were really simple to do (just modifying a hoodie and a t-shirt) but they did the trick. I have to admit, I really liked making the costumes! That being said, Eve is being a spider next Halloween. ;) Speaking of Halloween...

It is also the end of the year, and my kids have had some fantastic teachers. I volunteered to help the kids do something in Eve's preschool class......I am a one trick pony, so we did a quilt. I had each child draw a picture on a piece of fabric with fabric markers. I took the drawings and incorporated them into a quilt. Anna (Eve's preschool teacher....at the awesome hippie school my kids attend all the teachers go by their first name) is one of a kind, and this fabric is just her. She loves spiders and bats, plus, she keeps her house decorated for Halloween all year round. This quilt will fit right in.

I had plenty of time to make this quilt, so naturally, I crammed the bulk of it into a weekend.....one where we were also obligated to attend a class camp out. :) It was worth the sleep deprivation though! Anna taught 1/2 day in Aurora's  kindergarten last year and Eve's preschool this year. She means a lot to us, and I will miss being part of her class. She cried when she opened the quilt. I think she liked it. (one teacher gift down, one to go)

Now that Aurora has seen it is possible for me to complete a whole quilt in less than a week...and not just any week, a busy week...she is DEMANDING I finish the birthday quilt that was intended for her 6th birthday. Yes, she is 7 1/2. *sigh* I guess I need to get back on that parental obligation bandwagon. I mean really, how do I say no to this?

Crafty mommy blog

I think that this has turned into a family blog. Nothing wrong with that. My kids are cute and frequently say amusing things, but I thought I'd change it up a little. Did you know I sew? I do!  So when deciding what to blog this month I thought "I'll show off what I completed this month!" That was a good thought until I scoured my pictures and compiled April's accomplishments:

 Blocks for the Collingwood Block exchange

Birthday shirt for weasel themed birthday party

That was a little defeating, but if I stretched really hard, this picture was taken on April 1st:

 Quilt for my niece Gabi

Though the only work I did on Gabi's quilt in 2010 was adding the label. *sigh* 

There hasn't been much sewing going on. Life has gotten in the way of my crafting. I need to figure out a way to craft for money without having to sell the stuff I make. In my dreams, I open a sewing studio. A place with nice machines, plenty of workspace, helpful people to bounce ideas off of, a good supply of the notions we all forget to buy when starting a project......oh and a great child care facility. While I work on rustling up the $50k in seed money to make that dream a reality, I will just have to find a way of scheduling crafty time. I always show up for work, why don't I show up for the time I set aside to sew? I am a much happier person if I use that time as intended. Something to work on. 

Let's hope in May I have more pics to share......this did start out as a crafty blog.

Five Years

I am not sure how it could have been five years since you were born. I cannot imagine life without you, but those five years have gone so fast.

Eve, you have grown up so much this year! You started preschool, are learning to read and just last week (right after your birthday) you started riding a bike on your own. You like to give hugs and make people laugh. It seems like you always have a group of kids around you. You really are a fun and imaginative kid.

You seemed to have really enjoyed being four. I hope five is even better. And remember, mommy loves you (always, all the time, no matter what, forever and ever!)

February

I inadvertently started a pattern, and once it was pointed out, I felt the need to keep it going. What pattern? Posting on the 2nd of every month. So I suppose I am blogging with just little obligation. It is good, otherwise I might just let this space wither away. Now, I just need to start planning ahead of time. I didn't do that this month. :)

How about a few photos from our month:

 

Eve and I spent a fun day together. It was Eve centric, and her requests were lunch at Red Moose, and The Childrens' Museum. We had so much fun! I don't do this often enough. I have thought about having one evening each month set aside for mommy/daughter or daddy daughter dates. It is only March 2nd, so I guess I can make it happen! 

 

I was able to teach a group of kids in Aurora's class loom knitting. It is the perfect intro to knitting.  We made these adorable headband/ear warmer/cowls. I wish I had a picture of all the girls together. They were so proud! And rightfully so! Aurora has since made 2 more, and she convinced me to buy an assortment of looms. I think I just might have a knitter on my hands!!

 

I found an online download for these adorable valentines. I had just planned on doing white and letting the girls color them, but Aurora picked out this bright card stock. I LOVE THEM! And because I figured there would be plenty of candy, we put stickers on the back. 

If pictures are any indication, we did nothing in the 2nd half of the month. Really, I was just running a terribly understaffed daycare (that had a perfect state inspection!), spending time at the kids school (our school requires parents to spend 3 hours a week in their child's classroom) and artfully ignoring my house work. This month I will work on taking pictures and planning my blog posts. Eve has a birthday coming up, so you might even catch some crafty adventures. :)