Catching Up

I've been avoiding my blog like I avoid my sewing areas after big projects!  :D  Seems like the weekly homeschool posts were too much for me to keep up with.  Since I keep up on my Homeschool Tracker software as well as a yearly binder, I just find it to be a lot to post about it too.  I may find another way come fall...maybe a highlights vs. a log.  We're about 1/2-3/4 done with the ITBS (our standardized testing) for the year- hoping to finish that up by Saturday.

Onto the pics!  Mostly some of my most recent projects.

This is a sketch of a chicken I made for Mother's Day for my mom.  The frame idea is from Pinterest.  If you are curious, I can dig up the pin and subsequent tutorial.  Otherwise, if you follow me on Pinterest, it'd be in the house and home section.  After J cut the frame, I taped to paint the inner border white, then painted the outer area black and the inner frame with the black boxes to make it checkered.  I sanded a bit to rough it up and then coated with a couple layers of sealer after modge-podging the sketch on (which I'd sealed prior to that as well so it wouldn't smudge).  I'm very pleased with the final result and now we have a way to frame our own artwork at home in a very cost-effective way!



J participated as a delegate at the GOP State Convention this year.  He got to meet Ron Paul- the reason he got so involved this time around.  Met up with some people he knew and was able to have some good conversations with new folks as well.  
 

I made a few things to welcome my new niece, Imogin, who was born the end of May.  I made her 2 outfits, then had to make big sister Romi matching pj's and a little doll outfit too.
Here's a pic of her in the hospital:
 
Ooga Booga monsters:

Little frogs:

Romi's pj's with her doll:

The doll outfit looks huge here, but Romi's doll is bigger than the ones we had here at home:


Following Imogin's arrival was Emily's 9th birthday!  My sister Cassie made an awesome Perry cake!:  


We had a nice birthday.  A family party at the farm, and a good time out with a friend at the Mega Mall- rides, treats, Build-a-Bear, and the Rainforest Cafe.  

I participated in a charity dress sewing group online in May/June.  I took some of the older girl sizes and sewed up these two dresses to send to Haiti with some missions groups that were going.  One of the groups left a little early, but we're hoping to catch another group the end of June.  Both dresses have ties a the shoulder so they're more adjustable.  The grey one has ties in the back as well, with a flower and hummingbird appliqued on each pocket, size 10.  The printed dress is a typical 'pillowcase' dress, with pockets, size 12.



Also participated in a doll clothes swap on my favorite sewing board.  Sent them in yesterday and will hopefully have outfits back in a couple weeks!  I made 2 ballerina outfits, plus one for E:

2 tunic/legging sets:

And my favorite- a woven wrap dress with a belt a matching headband.  I made 2, but we kept one of them.


Out at the farm this year, if you're lucky, you'll spot some really cool hummingbird moths!  We thought it was a regular hummingbird at first, then saw the antennae and proboscis.  He wasn't afraid at all...this is a cellphone pic- nothing fancy.  We were able to get really close and he kept coming back.


I turned 29 just a couple days ago, so it's my last year in my 20's!  J's started back at school and it's been a grueling month.  We're hoping July will be a little less so.  We're shooting to get all of his pre-requisites done by the end of fall so he can apply for a master's program in Jan that starts Fall 2013.  He's going for occupational therapy.  It's a pretty competitive program, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  That field would be a dream for him- very fitting for his personality, skills, and work history.

Phew- hope I'm caught up now!  :)

Summer Review

Update time!

I figured I'd share some pictures- a little of what we were up to this summer:

Mama-made suit:



Sundress with matchy doll dress:


New summer bed set with pillow I made to match (I can't remember the tutorial I used for the butterflies):


Short haircut!


Earrings for a birthday girl!


A brief vacation to Fort Sisseton in South Dakota:







While we're posting about Sammy...she had minor surgery this summer to remove some growths from around her eyes. She had to put up with the cone for a whole 10 days, but we spoiled her rotten at the apartment to make up for it!



Fall is in full swing here. We've started a new co-op every other Wednesday and are on week 3 of our own homeschool semester. Our favorite subject at the moment is Botany for science. We have plants and leaves and microscopes scattered about the house which suits E just fine. She's always collecting bits and pieces out on walks anyway, so we're just adding to them! J started a PT postal route along with the managing job and has been busy training in the past few weeks. We're settling into routines again and enjoying the cooler weather.

I'll post again soon with some pics from our 3 week trip to DC!

A bday gift for a penpal

I meant to upload these pics awhile ago...but I've been having a bit of trouble with uploading pics from blogger. I've started doing it from picasa and pasting the links in.

This was sent out a couple weeks back- it was very well received and I'm glad! It's nice to make something for someone when they appreciate it so :) I'm sure she is beautiful in it- here it's modeled by E before sending it out. The bag is reversible- same pattern I used for E's awhile back. I'll be posting pics of E's dress later...hers is mermaids :)

Valleyfair

We went to Valleyfair for E's bday this year. She has the opposite problem of many children...she 'is' tall enough for most all the rides but just isn't ready for a good portion of them. She ended up going on the high roller, and after braving that a few times decided she wanted to try the corkscrew. I thought the high roller was more exciting, but the corkscrew goes upside down you know! She loved it...we went on that quite a few times at the end.

All day long she was watching the Wild Thing and really wanted to go on it at the end but I had to put my foot down! Even though she loves the rides, the gets this horrified look on her face on the way down. I didn't want to see what she'd look like 1/2way up the Wild Thing :D

The day was just a bit cool for the water rides, but we did them anyway. Kept the crowds at a low roar for that area!

It was a great day. By the end of it, we decided to go out for a movie as the park closed at 8pm. E treated us from $ she'd won from a coloring contest awhile back. We saw 'Up'...it was quite cute, esp. the little short film beforehand. I loved that one!

Opening up her card that a.m. The last shot is her figuring out what the riddle meant :D




The obligatory 1st ride...this is tradition no matter the age!


A few rides- I know the car one is blurry but can you see her face?! :D











This is her coming off her 1st 'big' rollercoaster. She's hollering at me that we're going again- this time her and I :)


The corkscrew- her fav. ride of the day:




And of course, the wave. We did this shortly before lunch and got soaked of course. Went on a couple of times and to finish it off stood on that bridge. I thought E knew what was going to happen, but just as she realized last minute she got this look of horror and tried to hold on for dear life to the back of my leg to no avail :D


Twas a great time :D She's already talking about next year. Actually, she was talking about next year the same day :)