End of Summer Highlights

This has been quite a summer! We've kept busy and the girls didn't mangle each other too badly.  However, EVERYONE has been grumpy the last few days.  So much so that I'm more than ready to be back at school!  I'm tired of doing things for everyone and tired of negotiating everyone's battles.  The girls are on each others' last nerve.  Annoying things aside, we've had a great summer.  Here are some recent highlights:

 Lots of self portraits this summer. The girls have discovered photography - WATCH OUT!

Several marathon games of Mono-poly (Katy's silly.)

Harry Potter Night!

A few lost teeth!

Don't ask. Just don't.

It was a good summer but I'm glad it's done.  What did you do this summer?

When You Can't Find What You Want...

Sew it!

Some of my earliest memories are of my mom in front of her sewing machine.  It seemed like she was always whipping up things for me to wear.  Since I've been an adult, she's sewn a few things for me (dresses in college, nursing tops and dresses as a new mom) but nothing recently.  I asked her to teach me the basics - and she said yes!

So here is a little timeline for you, followed by pictures.

• The girls and I arrived Thursday at noon. We met for lunch. Then my dad took the girls to the pool while my mom and I shopped for fabric and notions (I already had the patterns.)
• Thursday night we discovered we made a mistake with our fabric purchase, but we were able to make it work. We cut apart the patterns and organized our pieces.
• Friday morning we shopped at Hobby Lobby (got the right amounts of fabric!) We also hit Target and Kohls for shoes for the girls and me.
• Friday I went to lunch with my dad then returned to learn to sew. Girls went to the pool with Grandpa.  We cut the fabric for the first dress.
• Friday night the first dress is mostly together. We hit a few snags and had to stop and let the dress sit overnight.
• Saturday we didn't do much more than fiddle with the first dress all day.  Girls went to the pool with Grandpa again.  Finally got dress 1 hemmed and finished at about 10pm.  We cut the fabric for dress 2.
• Sunday my mom did all the sewing for dress 2 - it was a more complicated pattern. I went to lunch with my dad and the girls. Then when he took them to the pool, I kept my mom company and was available for fittings as needed.  Dress 2 was actually much simpler and more straightforward with WAY less modifications needed.

As promised...

Dress 1: Retro Butterick 4790 Misses' Wrap Dress

Dress 2: Simplicity 2884 It's So Easy Misses Dresses

Added placket in the "v"

Crossed the straps

I'm excited for school to start! I'm planning to wear a little sweater/shrug with both dresses to cover my arms/back. When I actually wear them, I'll post pictures :)

What do you do for clothing?  Do you find the styles and fit you like in the stores?

Vacation Pictures!

I made a quick movie in Picasa and uploaded it to YouTube.  Enjoy!

Toes in the Water...

Enjoying our vacation to the Nth degree!  Took oodles of pictures and enjoyed playing with them in Picasa.  I was planning to upload them but the wifi is SO SLOW! So you'll get a sample with more on Sunday (when I'm home with my speedy wifi!)

End of NaBloPoMo - Reflection

Wow, I can't believe I've done it! Those who know me IRL know that I have a bad habit of starting things and not following through. It is one of my weaknesses - I get brilliant ideas but never finish the project.

I'm proud to say I finished this one!  And I've learned a bunch - about myself, about Blogger, about Twitter, about writing for myself and not stats, about commenting on other's blogs.

I'm a geek girl at heart, totally in love with tech and what it can do.  And I love to see my site stats. It is so cool to see how people find my blog and what they are reading.  At the same time, I have to step back and remember that my blog is for me - it is my place to vent as well as my  place to talk about things that interest me.  I can share stories and pictures of my kids. I can talk about what I've read, what I'm doing in my home and at work.

Thanks for coming on this journey with me. I can't think of a better way to have spent a portion of my summer!

I'll be back in a week - we're off to the beach.  I'll try to schedule some posts for you to enjoy!

Vacation Preparation!

So this is what I have to overcome in order to get ready for the beach tomorrow...

towels, sheets, clothes, bathing suits - Oh My!

Why, oh why did I let this happen?!?!?!

And I've got to pack my clothes, supervise the girls packing, and see about finding beach toys and pack the truck. Oy!

Have you got vacation plans for this summer?

This Moment: What We Did This Summer

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Inspired by Amanda at SouleMama.