Projects Projects & More Projects

I have been behind on blogging. Partly because I've been lazy and partly because several of my projects where wedding gifts and I could not post them until the wedding actually occurred. So here is what I've been working on:

Here is a birthday cake party dress. It includes a bonnet and undies that match. 

 I used this pattern to make Hannah the PJs she is pictured in below. It's not the world's greatest pattern. It's a little tricky to follow. 

 Hannah in her new PJs. She really likes them. She says "woof woof" when she wears them. Too cute. :) 

The entire doll outfit collection. I made two sets. One set for the North Carolina LLL Conference Silence Auction and one for the girls for Christmas. The first is an all satin princess gown with lots of fun, fancy stitching. The second is a dolphin beach outfit with a wrap around top and shorts. (It's a Cabbage Patch Kids pattern that my mom used to make clothes for my dolls!) There are two diapers. And then the cupcake party dress pictures above. They were fun but a ton of work! Doll clothing is pretty much the same as kids clothing but a million times smaller. I am done with itty bitty arms holes for a while. I hope they go for a lot at the auction and raise money for the LLL. I sure wish I could be there! 

I made this skirt for myself with the Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt Pattern. It's hard to see the layers in this picture because I have not washed it yet. But you can see them in the link. It was really fun and rather easy! I think I'll do the apron skirt next. 

I got these at a great clearance price at Target. They are kitchen towels.

I made this reversible tote bag with them! I used this tote for Ella and Pete's wedding gift. I titled it "Oh Sweet Pea." I also made a round cloth basket and towel with a sweet pea applique on it. They turned out super cute but I forgot to get a picture. Missy filled the basket with her wonderful Naked Beauty products. 

 The inside of the tote bag. I think it turned out really well. It's a great size for the Farmer's Market. I have several of the towels left so perhaps I'll make my own bag.

Ella and Pete's wedding quilt. I had grand plans of doing a fancy bed sized quilt, but life got in the way of those plans. Instead I made this simple throw quilt. It's a rag quilt made of very soft flannel. I picked the colors because they reminded me of the beautiful blue skies we backpacked under in Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska. (Both Ella and Pete attended Widjiwagan with me.) Their wedding was absolutely beautiful. I could not imagine a better celebration of their love for each other. Everything was so personalized and very Ella and Pete -ish. I also got to see many old friends from camp. It was such a blessing to celebrate with Ella and Pete and catch up with dear friends!

So those are my recent projects. Next up is a couple dressed for the girls. I purchased some really fun fabric at Jo Ann's the other day. I have Ella's dress half done. I'll finish them up tomorrow. I got a great deal on black t-shirts at Target today and I plan to do some fun Halloween applique on them. 

I am in Christmas mode as well! I've got the doll dressed for the girls done already. Their big gifts will be bean bag chairs and I can't wait to get started on those! Of course I have other special projects for friends and family as well, but I can't say what they are, because unlike my girl's they can read this blog! 

Tutti Fruitti Fun!

Here is a skirt I made for Hannah with the Tutti Fruitti fabric from Joanna's. I made a very similar one for Ella Bean. (I just reversed the fabrics.) I believe all the Tutti Fruitti fabric is on sale right now. I added a fun lace trim as well. (It's hard to see in the picture.)

Escaping the Heat

Well, we tried to escape the heat by heading North to Duluth, MN and Ely, MN. We made a valiant effort, but it was still toasty. We had a great time in Duluth visiting my Oma, aunt Cathy, uncle Bob, and cousin Kyle. It's such a blessing to be close to everyone again. The girls had a great time. I enjoyed several late night conversations with Oma. It's one of my favorite parts about visits to Duluth. I think that Bode enjoyed himself the most of all. Oma spoiled him with treats and took him on walks. He didn't really want to leave. I think she enjoyed his company as well.

We spent a day up in Ely, MN as well. One of former campers, Helena, had her AE banquet at camp and it was an honor to attend. We spent several hours at Widjiwagan, just walking around and exploring with the girls. I love that everything is pretty much the same. I can't wait for the girls to attend Widjiwagan and I am already excited to hear about their trips. (I better start saving money now!)

The girls coloring with Oma. :)

Hannie beats the heat by being cute. It's easy for her.

Bode had a grand time in Duluth. Oma spoiled him rotten with treats and brought him on walks early in the morning when it was not so hot. Aunt Cathy also loved on him. It's good to be Bode.

The highlight of Ella's weekend was throwing rocks. She threw rocks in Lake Burnside and Lake Superior. It made her very happy.

Ella read to a giant moose in Ely, MN.

Oma threw rocks with Ella. Oma is very good at skipping rocks. Ella just likes to throw rocks. The bigger the better. Oma founds some grand, BIG, rocks for Bean to throw. I am so glad we get to visit Oma now. It makes my heart happy.

Life is good! (Please note that there were NO waves on lake Superior. It was crazy calm, and crazy hot.)

My former camper and I at Widji. It was so great to see her and see her with her AE campers! I love Widji so much. I especially love that it does not change all that much. I had not been back in about 7 years, but it was all pretty much the same*. I even saw several familiar faces. Kathy, the cook. (Who still remembers my love for her food, especially her ice cream.) Patty, another former camper. I was her intro counselor and now she is leading an Explorer trip! Kurt, who I worked with, and is now admin. It was grand.

Ella Bean at Chapel Point. She'll attend Widji in 9 years. :)

Hannie sitting in front of Kirby waiting for dinner. She'll attend Widji in 11 years.

* One change I am not thrilled about is the no skinny dipping rule. That makes me sad for many reasons, but that is post for another day. A post that I am pretty sure most folks would not be all that interested in.

Life In Minnesota Thus Far...

We have been very busy since arriving in Minnesota. Really too busy to realize that we are living here. It still feels like summer vacation and that we are only here for a few weeks. It does not help that the town home and suburb we are currently living in is temporary, only for a year. Anywho, we are making the best of it and getting settled. Here are some photos of our latest adventures.

How can you not love this goof ball?! I think she is getting a little shaggy. There may be a haircut in her future. Although I am waiting because after I got Bean's 1st haircut she didn't look like a baby anymore and it made me sad. :(

Bean, Hannah (she's on my back), and I on the carousel at Como Zoo. Ella really enjoyed the ride.

Hannah has a love for shoes. She digs my shoes out of the closet and tries to wear them around the house. She's a hoot.

The covered buttons I made for Bean's Dr. Suess dress. She helped me with them, but only because it was too "buggy" to play outside. She did tell me that when she grows up she'll be a sewer like mommy. It was very sweet.

Bean wearing the Dr. Suess dress I sewed for her, while holding her Urtle the Turtle. She wanted to hold Hop on Pop, Horten, and Fox in Socks as well, but could not balance them all.

We continued the tradition of watching the North Mankato Fun Days parade from the Johnson's house. Bean found the treat table quickly. :)

Hannah spent most of the parade running between Oma, Opa, Dad, and Mom. She only tried to run away to a new family once. We caught her. :)

Bean was thrilled with her candy collection from the parade.

We've been hanging out with Lisa and Pete and it's been grand. I can't tell you how thrilled we are to be close to them again. They are great friends and we always have a wonderful time with them!

We went to Como Zoo and the girls had a great time Hannah saw the zebras and said "doggie, woof, woof." What a goofball.

We had a fanastic time being part of Seth and Laura's wedding! (Yes, we are wearing clothes, they got cut off in the picture... it wasn't that kind of party! Get your head out of the gutter Seth Boyd.)

The happy couple! Their wedding was a beautiful celebration of their love for each other and their love for their family and friends.

(We also attended Renee and Dustin's wedding. It was a beautiful garden wedding and fit them perfectly! In true Megan form I brought the camera and left it in the car. Oh dear.)

This Is Why I Have Not Been Blogging...

We hit the road in four days = Craziness at our house!

My entire classroom in boxes.

More Boxes...

Ella packed her toys in these boxes. There is one toy per box. She took her marker and wrote on the boxes as well.

Lazy Weekend

This is how we roll on a lazy weekend.

Hannah enjoys playing in laundry baskets. Who says kids need fancy toys? :)

Hannah didn't get dressed at all yesterday. She enjoyed frolicking naked. Someday she will enjoy Naked Hiking or Naked Paddling at Widjiwagan. (Of course I am a stronger supporter of Naked Hiking, since I was a Mountaineer, but I would be happy with a Voyageurs as well. Perhaps one of each?)

Ella's baby doll was feeling sick, so she had to go to bed. (I finally folded laundry, so the baskets were free.)

Ella thought she would take a little snooze too.

Her other baby had to go in the stroller to the doctor. I guess she does not have healthy babies.

So that concludes our lazy weekend so far. We will head out soon for the grocery store because no matter how lazy our weekend is, we do need food to eat. I imagine I should get Hannah dressed for a trip to the grocery store.

Spring Break in Minnesota

We enjoyed spring break in Minnesota, but I didn't have the camera so blurry iPhone pictures will have to do. We spent most of the break in Golden Valley with Philip, Sue, and Mari. It was a grand time. Ella Bean loved playing with Mari and Sue. Although it was funny because she could never remember Sue's name so she referred to her as "that lady".

Some highlights where:

- An afternoon in Mankato with my folks (It would have been nice to stay longer, but we wanted to spend as much time as possible with Philip and both the girls had icky colds.)

- Meeting little Everett (My cousin's baby. He was super cute and so little!)

- Dinner with the Klaber-Nathan family (Ella LOVED playing with my cousin Julia. She really likes playing with the "big girls".)

- A date with Philip! (We went to Water for Elephants and ate dinner out. It was a good movie, not great, but good.)

- A trip to Coma Zoo with grandpa, aunt Maureen, and cousin Sean (Bean loved the polar bear the best.)

- A wonderful 90 minute massage thanks to Sue (Her friend Ellien is a gifted massage therapist. She's got magical hands!)

Hannah got her own seat on our Minneapolis to Atlanta flight. It was wonderful. She sat like such a big girl and loved eating off the tray. (I choose to not think about all the germs on the tray because it entertained her for an hour and was worth it!)

Bean enjoyed playing in the play area at the Humphrey Terminal. I love the Humphrey Terminal. It's not busy at all and has a great place for kids to play. (In this picture she is flying the airplane.)

Hannah going up the stairs in the play area. She is a little monkey!

I love this picture! It's Taffy, Penny, and Bode on the sofa at Sue's house. They all get along so well. Taffy is the cheese to Bode's macaroni. They are so happy together. I have never seen Bode play with other dogs until now. Bode and Taffy run around the yard together. They hunt squires together. They sleep on the sofa together. I think it will be hard on them when Bode and Philip move out in June. They are such good friends.

Hannah Takes a Walk

Well Hannah is walking all over the place! :) Check out this video of her latest adventures.

Pig Tails for Hannah

Check out Hannah's first pig tails! :) One of her teachers at daycare loves doing her hair. I wish I could do it, but it's a hot mess when I try. She's growing up so fast. She walks all over the place now. She says Mom, Ella, yes, yum, & HoHo (her lovey's name). She loves to climb and is our little monkey. She climbs on our bed, the chair, the sofa, the bathtub, and the list goes on. She enjoys playing in water and taking baths. She likes to play hide and seek and squeals when we "find" her. She loves to snuggle and nurse. She's such a sweet little girl and she's getting big too fast! She's in the Toddler room at daycare and I keep on thinking that she does not belong there because she's still my baby. Love her!

Hannah's Apron Dress

Here is my first attempt at an apron dress. I got the pattern from Little Lizard King. I didn't follow their directions or measurements exactly, but it was good to work off. The next dress will have a few changes.

Hannah is 1!

I can't believe one year ago, at about this time, I was holding my brand new little Hannah in my arms for the first time. She has grown so much since then. I love you Hannie!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Happy Hannah!

Hannah REALLY enjoyed her cake!

The monkey cake MawMaw Vickie made. It was grand!

Ella and her Godmother, Renee. She loves Renee. For many reasons, but I think a big one is because she always seems to have a snack for Bean. ;)

Aiden tried the fun to be one hat on. He's got a few months to go, but not far off!

Today was Hannah's birthday party. Her actual birthday is not until the 22nd, but we celebrated with friends today. It was a grand time! We all had yummy R&R BBQ, slaw, beans, & hush puppies. Maw Maw Vickie made the cutest monkey cakes and cup cakes for the party. Ella Bean originally planned to eat all the cake by herself, but decided to share in the end. It was very kind of her. Our party favors where yummy, yummy cake pops made by my co-worker, Janelle, who owns Peace, Love, & Cake Pops. They were a hit. Hannah got very thoughtful and wonderful gifts. We are lucky to have so many great friends!