A summer dress

My little girl hates wearing pants, so I've been forced (hee, hee) to make her a summer wardrobe of dresses. I love making clothes for children; they always fit and get tons of compliments. As a mother's day present to myself, I bought the latest issue of Sew Hip just for this popover dress pattern. It really was the easiest dress I've ever made and I'm oh-so-happy with how it turned out. I mean, it took me about an hour and I'm a pretty slow sewer. Oliver + S have done it again!
On the other hand, I generally don't enjoy making clothes for myself because, in my experience, they never fit and somehow always look really handmade (not in a good way!). Despite this, I decided (on the same mother's day splurge) to buy myself this dress pattern because it seemed easy enough and the perfect pullover summer dress. I've made it halfway through and so far, so good, but I'll let you know.

May Day

I know, I know...it's almost June and I'm just now posting pictures of the lovely little May Day celebration we had with our Waldorf homeschool group. It truly was a perfect May afternoon. I did make the little gingham apron dress Katya's wearing last year from this pattern. Need to make her another one as this one's getting short. I'm actually looking forward to summer (I don't usually) and I hope to post some more sewing projects I've been working on tomorrow (but that's not a promise!).

Seven

A few weeks ago, Jan celebrated his seventh birthday with three separate celebrations:

I cannot believe that I've enjoyed seven years with this little elf. I remember so clearly when I first saw my tiny baby boy. He had a sparkle in his eyes that I will always see in him. I am forever trying to keep up with him. Now, more than ever, I appreciate his morning snuggles where he manages to roll up his long body so it fits in my lap. We both need that morning ritual as his days take him on adventures with friends far away from me. I love remembering for just a few moments each day that he was once my littlest goose and a tiny part of him will always be needing a squeeze from his mama.

A pink balloon and Easter dress

I would love to have more time to spend improving my photography skills. Oh, how I just adore so many of the photographs I see on other people's blogs. I could easily imagine how the below picture could be a gorgeous shot. It will remain a goal of mine to take great pictures someday....


This linen dress above was made from the Flower Girl Dress from Weekend Sewing, which is by far the easiest dress I've ever sewn and enormously popular with my girl. I added a fabric flower from this tutorial. Ever so easy and fun to make.
Easter did not come and go without a new dress for Katya, but nothing for myself and I felt more than a tad sad when I realized that my son's dressy shirt was noticibly short in the sleeves. I vow to make them matching (but not overly matchy....I'm in love with these) outfits for mother's day (only a week away!) because, quite honestly, I cannot imagine a better present for me than seeing my little guy in a tie. I'm sure there will need to be a bribe of some sort to get him to wear it.
Anyway, the Easter dress below was from this Oliver and S pattern. As usual, it was a pleasure to make. I always learn so much from these patterns. They are so well thought out and engineered and I think they are well worth their hefty price.

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

Simple Skirts GIVEAWAY!!!!

These skirts are just gorgeous. As I explore my personal sense of style, I've discovered that although I do love all the beautiful prints out there, I really do prefer simple solids in my wardrobe and my children's. I find them endlessly elegant and versatile. So, I'd love to win one of these skirts for Katya...maybe I could pull off some for myself!

Gone

Jan lost his first tooth today! I was so excited for him and then so sad when he told me he swallowed it with a bite of bread. I just wanted spend some time examining this teeny tiny tooth. Oh well, there will be others....to think that I've been looking at this little tooth since he was just a wee baby. I did not even have the chance to make him a cute toothfairy pillow (locked out of my sewing room...long story), but I'm sure he won't mind a bit.

Baking bread

When I was pregnant with my first child, I imagined all the things we would do together. High on my list was lots of art and baking projects at the kitchen table. Somehow, once my son was born, none of those things happened at all until recently. I became overly worried about the mess and the frustration and he was not at all interested in the kinds of projects I was. In retrospect, I cannot believe that I let go of that dream so easily. Since we started homeschooling, I've become closer to the kind of parent I want to be. Not to say that I did not thoroughly enjoy babyhood (I'm still suffering from a severe case of baby fever), but I've so enjoyed the more focused activities with my kids as they get older. I ordered this book and was inspired to give bread baking a try. I was excited to discover that bread making is indeed transformative. My children love it. The book has wonderful recipes that are simple and failproof (in our experience) along with traditional read aloud stories about bread. We've actually even broken out in song during the kneeding process! I love sharing this activity with them. I cannot wait for our next loaf!