9.03.2014

Oliver's First Day of Kindergarten

Today was a big deal kind of day. My house got very quiet. Oliver went to Kindergarten! He was nervous and quiet, but very brave. I full-out messy cried when I got back to my car after leaving him there. A full school day is a long time.

 


Let's take a moment to admire the last two items in his list. Best friend: Daddy. Wants to be: A daddy. Melt my heart, sweet boy.

I took the easy route with his outfit. He wanted a snake shirt. I went and bought a shirt, and just freezer-paper stenciled a snake on it. Easy and done. Ruthie starts preschool this week, too. What am I going to do with 2 hours of alone time twice a week? This week, the answer is, "Get a pedicure." ;)

9.02.2014

Clara Starts Second Grade

It's true! She is now a second grader! And she looks SO grown up. Sniff.

In keeping with tradition, I sewed her first day outfit. The shirt is the Playtime Dress/Tunic from Oliver + S. It is a great pattern and was so simple to make. I only wish there was an option for no back closure, since it's not really necessary in knit. I omitted the sleeves and finished the armholes with some striped knit fabric from an old shirt of mine.

To compare and see how much she has grown, here are her 1st grade and Kindergarten first days.


Tomorrow Oliver starts Kindergarten, so check back!

1.28.2014

Cold hands can still craft.

Remember New Year's Eve? That happened like a month ago. January has gone really fast, hasn't it?



I don't know if you've noticed, but it's cold outside. Like, super cold. There should be a word for "cold" that is colder than "cold." So here we are, on the fifth day of no-school-because-kids-shouldn't-walk-to-school-in-this-weather. It's okay. My life doesn't really change much, whether everyone is at school or not. I think it helps that my kids are mostly introverted and enjoy nothing more than being together. No one has even told me they are bored! I, however, am getting a little bored. I depend on being outside of my house every day. I like people. And nature. And this weather is not very friendly toward those two likes.

So I have been knitting. I won't tell you the shameful amount of time it took me to knit this little sweater for my baby nephew. Fortunately, it still fits him! I have only ever knit this pattern in the newborn size, and the big flaw with the bigger sizes (this one is an 18 month) is that the collar is too loose and stretchy. Next time I will make it smaller or go down a few needle sizes on the neckline.



I am also making myself a new hat. I couldn't find any of my previous handmade hats at the start of winter, so I am stuck with a red Gap hat I have had for at least ten years.



Also, this quilt. That I have been working on off and on for almost a year. Yeah....gonna get this sucker finished. I moved my sewing machine up to the dining room, because my basement is just too frigid for me to want to hang out down there.

 So! That's a little update on my happenings in the coldest January ever. Dreaming of springtime and going outside without a million layers on. In the meantime, I am going to try not to gain 30 pounds of comfort food weight. Ha. Wish me luck.