And The Fun Never Stops

Sunday afternoon.

The words bring to mind big lunches after church with friends or family followed by long family naps and leisurely dinners. A time to relax and get ready for the week ahead. Maybe enjoy the last few hours with some out of town guests.

At least that's what they should be. If you do them right. Which we don't.

We were pretty on track today...at least, until Phoebe fell down the stairs helping my mom take her stuff to the car to get ready to leave and busted her lip. It required a trip to the hospital and stitches. Courtesy of my AUNT AMY who was in town with my mom. We really know how to have fun around here.

Here's the "before". Yes, that's blood on her shirt.


And the after.


It looked pretty nasty, I admit, but after a "feel better" stop at Sonic and Phoebe's favorite mashed potatoes for dinner, she looks and feels alot better. It helps that Nena and Amy stayed over another night due to all the excitement.

And I have to tell you, I was a little surprised that Phoebe received the first set of stitches in our family! :)

"Fashions fade, style is eternal."
Yves Saint Laurent

Show and Tell: My Dad's Quilt

Way back in March, I put together the top for my dad's quilt with every intention of getting him the entire quilt by the end of school. It was also the quilt I was going to learn to stipple on. And as a side note, I really kind of enjoy stippling in a get-in-the-zone-tune-out-the-world kind of way. I may just add that to the list of things I do when I'm worried or anxious about something. Right up there with NESTING and cleaning. I'll be the first to admit that my stippling skills left something to be desired on this quilt, but I did get it finished way back in May...even before I finished MRS. RIGGLE'S QUILT, but like most of my projects, summer has taken a toll on my project-making. I'm back on the wagon again this week, though! :)

Well, I finally finished Dad's quilt while we were visiting them this past week! And while I'm sure you are just enthralled with my overly verbose explanation of how I arrived at finishing my Dad's quilt, I am also certain you are thinking, "Would she just post the pictures already?!"

Here you go.

I used Moda's HAPPY CAMPER jelly roll for THIS pattern. I just loved this fabric!! It's bright and retro and so much fun!

Dad chose the fabric for the backing.


But then I chose the binding fabric...mostly because I found this in a store and it saved me shipping. Oh, how I hate to pay shipping!


I think he liked it. :)

All He Wants For Christmas...

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in. ~Graham Greene


I've always thought that once children lose their two front teeth, they start looking less like a little child and all at once like a big kid. Then, of course, the permanent teeth grow in and they all go through that "ugly duckling" phase where their big teeth don't quite match up with their little faces.


I was really hoping to put that off a little bit longer.


We've known for awhile that Eli's two front teeth have been loose. We were even more surprised when they stayed put after the HORSE KICKED HIM. But the in the last few days, they've gotten really, really loose. Like loose enough to pull. I've been telling him to leave them alone. Just let them hang out a little longer, but he couldn't. Today during nap time. And by "nap time" I mean mine and Phoebe's. I gave Eli explicit instructions to "find something quiet to do" while we napped. When I woke up, he was missing his two front teeth. At least he'll never be bored!

We told him that when he pulls more than one tooth, he's going to have to give the tooth fairy a few days to get her act together.

I hope...

your 4th...

was this...

much fun!!

And maybe not this dangerous! :)

Show And Tell: A Nightdress

"More than anything else in the world, Angelina loved to dance."


I know I say it all the time, but one of my very favorite children's' books is ANGELINA BALLERINA. Not only is the story precious and the pictures a delight, but it's the first book I remember having an emotional connection with. My parents' close friends sent the book to me when I was five or six. I'm guessing it's because I was Angelina...always dancing and pretending with big dreams floating around in my little head. Whatever the reason, I loved the book. And I still do. I even learned how to make Mrs. Mousling's cheddar cheese pies! I like to serve them at TEA PARTIES.

I never read any of the other ANGELINA books or saw the DVD's so I can't give you a review of those, but I was more than excited to introduce Phoebe to Angelina. I just knew they would be kindred spirits in the way they love to sing and dance all the time. I read it to her for the first time a few months ago and I've probably read it 285 times since then! That's okay, though, a good book deserves to be read and re-read countless times.


But this is a Show and Tell post, and I'm sure you're thinking I should just get on with the "showing" and wrap up all the "telling" part, right? A few weeks after I first read "Angelina Ballerina" to Phoebe, I found this fabric at JoAnn's.


And like every other project I start, it took me two months to make it into a night gown for Phoebe. I think it has something to do with taking on too many projects at once and being a fabric junkie. But look how cute it turned out!


I found the pattern in a pattern book I bought at Hobby Lobby. I looked for a link online, but couldn't find one. The pattern was waaaayyy easy and I'm looking forward to whipping up a few more things from the book.


I also found this little Angelina doll online and ordered it thinking it was plush and would be perfect tucked away inside a little pocket. Well, it wasn't...but it still looks cute in a pocket.


And it gives Phoebe something to play with when she wakes up at 4:00 in the morning.

So that's my project. You're up next. What did you make and what was your inspiration? Leave the link in a comment if you can, but still tell me all about it. I just love Show and Tell!

The Sign Of A Well-Spent Day

I'm posting my "Show and Tell" on Saturday morning! Everyone get their links and pics ready so I can see what everyone's been up to this summer. I'm so excited!! Please don't let my little idea bomb! :)

"Everyone Else At The Beach" Or "The Last Post Of Our Vacation. I Promise."

My dad asked me yesterday if he had actually gone on our vacation to the seaside with us. Ha ha. He's a very funny man. Or he thinks he is, anyway.

I fully intended to post more pictures of the rest of us, but with Brad's surgery, I just haven't found the time.

No time like the present, right?

Don't worry. There aren't that many.





There's a funny story about this picture. On Friday, we decided to take the ferry across to Aransas Pass and hit Sonic Happy Hour. We're just so much fun like that. When we told Phoebe we were taking the ferry, she asked, "The BABY PACI FAIRY?" She just could not wrap her head around it! She asked 284 questions about the ferry, the boat, why was it called a "ferry", where was the fairy, was she riding on the boat, and on and on and on. We finally just stopped talking about it because it was making us all a little crazy! :)




We didn't build this sand castle. We just thought it made for a great photo op.




A "Happy Father's Day" picture on our last day at the beach. I love these people sooooo much!




A new "Show and Tell" post is coming soon! And it's pretty darn cute, too. Get your own "Show and Tell" ready so you can leave the link in my comment box. I just can't wait!

Our Summer In Numbers (So Far)

4 The number of shoes we left at the condo in Port Aransas. One pair of Phoebe's and a pair of Eli's. Phoebe's favorite game at the condo was "Put Things In Empty Drawers" and I'm pretty sure that's where they

5 The number of days since Brad's hernia surgery last Thursday. He's feeling better now, but there were a rough couple of days in there!

1 The number of brand-new nephews I have! Welcome, Baby Isaac!! This isn't the greatest picture since I took it from my sister's facebook page, but it's the only one I have. Dontcha just want to squeeze those widdle cheekies?!

3 1/2 The number of books I've read this summer. JULIE AND JULIA (marginal). THE RELIABLE WIFE (pretty good). SHANGHAI GIRLS (very good). I'm about four chapters into THE TANGIBLE KINGDOM that we're reading with our small group. I'm also about 10 pages into AN ECHO IN THE BONE.

23 The number of popsicles consumed at our house.

148 The number of tallys Eli has on his WINDOW TALLY SHEET. It's slow going, folks.

47 The number of times Eli has complained about not getting to play with friends this summer.

6 The number of half-finished projects I have going on in my craft room.

872 The number of flies I've killed so far this summer. They seem especially bad this year. There are 3 flying around the kitchen as I type this.

7 The number of times I've called my pediatrician so far. What with Eli's ROUGH START to the summer and Phoebe's summer cold and pink eye, she's my new BFF!

8 The number of times we've been to the pool. I'm hoping the number goes up drastically in the next few weeks!

15 The number of Sonic Happy Hour stops I've made.

56 The number of days of summer left before Eli starts first grade! I think I'll start hyperventilating now.

What are the numbers for anyone else's summer so far?

Phoebe At The Beach

Just as much as our vacation to the seaside (and don't you think "seaside" sounds so much more poignant that "beach"?) showcased Eli's little personality, it also made Phoebe shine, too.

Can't you just feel the anxiety radiating off this girl?

This is about as close to the water as she got on that first day. And the whole time she was screaming, "I DON'T WIKE TO GET DIRTY!!" She's so much fun that way.


So we spent some time building sandcastles.



She and Brad built a whole sand city that afternoon. Actually, Brad did the manual labor and Phoebe was more like the developer telling Brad where to dig and where to place each "castle". We have no idea where her bossiness comes from! :)

By the second day, she was getting much braver. She never did battle the waves like Eli did and she didn't particularly care to be carried out that far, either. But the beach did inspire several spontaneous outbursts of song and dance that amused our fellow beach-goers. She also collected a large amount of "teeny-tiny" shells every day. Phoebe is very industrious...even when she plays she's "working."

I just love this picture. We have a similar one of my sister and a FAMILY FRIEND when Carrie was about Phoebe's age.
Phoebe's favorite game on this day was to run into the water until it was about shin deep and then run back out. Over and over and over again.






That night we tried to get some good family pictures at the seaside. It was not a good experience. The only really good one I ended up with was the one of ELI AND BRAD. We waited too late and lighting was bad and someone (who's name rhymes with Meebee) was in a terrible mood. However, I did take this picture of her pretending to be a pelican.

She's such a little cheesehead!

After dinner at THE CRAZY CAJUN on Friday night, we took another walk on the beach where I got some great pictures of Phoebe. I need to tell you a little backstory on the dress Phoebe is wearing in the next few pictures. My mom made it for me when I was about Phoebe's age. Embroidered on the front are some flowers and a sun that I drew and then my mom traced and embroidered! How cool is that?! You can't see them very well in the pictures so I'll have to take a close-up later.