Bed time for bug

This is often what I see as we finish our bedtime routine.

Mission accomplished.

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Mother's Day ROCKED!

Mother's Day ROCKED this year. It is amazing to watch this little girl of mine grow and develop into an amazing person. Case in point, the painting below.

This is a painting of me. Done by the Bug. Isn't it great? Notice the gold streaks in my hair. And that I am wearing pants, not a skirt like other moms, because I really don't wear skirts. The sun is gorgeous and on the left side, what started out as maybe not exactly what the teacher was looking for, is a beautiful tree with a nest with eggs. Such great creativity.

And I love to see things like this. Even though the reason I am loved may not be the 'Mom of The Year' way of getting ready for school. Oh, in the drawing above, which was a warm up for the painting, I have chicken pox. Blue chicken pox. Awesome.

The Bug's teacher created a beautiful day for us. The kids went into the classroom first and we had to wait out in the hall. They were so excited. Then each one came to get their mom and escort her to her seat at the table. The paintings and other things were waiting for us. Then the kids went to get the punch and cookies and fruit. They felt so grown up taking care of things for us. And they did such a great job.

After breakfast there was a bead station where bracelets and necklaces were made for the moms.


Bug's teacher did such a great job. They had been working on things for a few weeks and the kids weren't supposed to say anything about what was going on. Bug never said a thing. But then again that isn't too surprising. She is so NOT forthcoming about what goes on in school. We have actually developed a game about what she does at school. And it is called Nothing. The answer to every question - what did you do at school? What did you read? What did you have for snack? What did you do on the playground? What songs did you sing? All of it comes up with a big Nothing. Now it is a game, but seriously, she gives up nothing about her day.

I cherish my painting. Not only because my bug did it with love, but because it shows how much she is developing, understanding and noticing the world around her, and because she is creating beauty.

Go Bug, you ROCK.

 





 

Field Trip!

Yep, we had a preschool field trip. We walked down the street from the school to the local fire station. I think I (and some of the other parents) were more excited than the kids. It was a very fun day.

We were very lucky as one of the boys in our class has a dad and an uncle who work at this station. And they were the ones to give us the tour and tell us all about firefighters, 911, safety, tools, and so much more.  I really liked how they did this presentation. They talked about what to do if you need help, who to call, why you should call 911 and for what, and they did it all on their knees or sitting so that they were at the same level as the kids. A small thing but I think it really makes an impact. Then we toured the firehouse and saw where they lived and hung out. Once we got out to where the trucks were they went through a lot of the tools on the truck. Did you know that a fire truck is basically just an enormous tool box? I am quite jealous of all their tools and the cool ways they keep them. Some good organizational tips to be learned there.

One of the key things that they did was talk about all of the gear they need to wear when fighting a fire. So Wes kept talking as he was putting on all of his equipment. He asked if each items was scary before he put it on and got a little sillier with each addition. Once he had everything on he did actually look quite intimidating and his voice was altered because of the mask. So he crawled around with the kids and said this is probably what he would look like if he had to come get them in fire. He wanted to make sure they knew who he was and that it was just gear. They all goofed around a bit before he changed. I truly hope none of these children ever need to be rescued from a fire, but I am so grateful for how this was handled to put them a bit more at ease.

Then the kids got to spray a fire hose! So cool. But the bug was not interested. Oh well. I have done that and those things are really powerful. A fun day had by all.

As an aside, it must be a requirement that firemen are attractive. What is up with that? Oh, right when you come up to the door of the firehouse you see a sign that says the following: Push the button for a Fireman. Wow, if it were only that easy.

We are a making family

That is what I told a woman in the store we were in this afternoon. She was complimenting Bug on the scarf she was wearing. It was made by one of the cousins, one of our generation cousins. And I realized we really are a making family. On so many levels.

So many different members of our family make things. Really cool things. And not just immediate family, but extended as well.

We just opened an etsy store called MGD Custom. Right now it only has our wood blocks. Those with the Encinitas signs and the custom ones on the Playskool blocks. Soon it will have much, much more. Both from the man and from me. And hopefully one day from the Bug.

But the really cool thing about today is that we saw a fun canopy type thing hanging over a crib/bed in the store. I showed it to bug and she really liked it. So we went home and made something just like it. From what we had around the house. And it was a complete family project.  Okay, so maybe not exactly like it, but close. The one in the store had rainbow silky fabric. Ours is sheer white but we did have this rainbow silk that a friend had given us. Bug remembered it. And we used that to cover up the (totally cool) chandelier attachment hanging from the light.

It is her room and she loves it. And is really proud that we made it. And I think that is the most important part. We really are a making family. Go us.


Oh, Happy New Year! I hope to see you around here more often.
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Camera shy? Not any more.

This is what happens when your 4 year old finds your camera and is not getting the attention she wants.

I have quite a few feet shot of my own. Seems like a pretty cool thing to take a picture of. 

   

And I have to say I really like this one. Beautiful composition and pretty good lighting. This is our 19 year old Cabo. I love this girl. She is the longest relationship I have ever had. Oh wait, second longest. Deb gets the longest award.

A Bug Playground, really

And I don't mean for my bug. Well, actually it was a gift for my bug.  But it really is a bug playground. It is totally cool. Our bug is very much into bugs right now. And our dear friend got her a bug playground. Seriously. 

Now that is has warmed up we found some pill bugs, you know, Rollie Pollies. We tend to find the bugs some time during the day, bring the playground inside, usually into her bedroom, and then forget about them. Until Mommy panics and says “Where are the bugs?!?” and we put them outside in the dark. But one night after dinner Mommy got fascinated with the activity and snapped some shots. So here you go, living vicariously through our Bug Playground. 

Mud!

Another great day of beautiful weather. I was digging in the yard. Which left large areas of dirt available. And small fun-loving girls were running around. So of course they had to make mud pies. 

Which then turned into playing in a mud pit. So much fun.

 

Disclaimer: I did create the mud pit. Although it was at the request of cute small fun-loving girls.

And then we cleaned up and had baths before The Man got home. J

a little bragging moment

When bug wants to reach something in her closet, she turns over her trash can to create a stool that she can stand on. I love that. She is so resourceful. And even though it creates a mess, I'm okay with that. Because she figured something out on her own to achieve her goal. I really am a proud Momma.

Okay, resume your day. Thanks for listening.

We are Thankful

One of the great things about my new job is that I get to be one of the room moms for Bug’s preschool class. The other room mom is AWESOME. She is so dang creative I love it. And so far we work really well together. For Thanksgiving she came up with the greatest project for their teacher. Each kid was given a paper leaf to write what they were thankful for about their teacher. Then we put it together in a frame. It’s great because she has a lot of scrapbook supplies and I have the fiber arts and other random things covered.

Turned out so cute.

Oh, and Christmas was gift cards with fun little mini trees. And we made ornaments with each of the kid’s photos. Again, such a great idea (Laura!) and so dang cute. (But I forgot to take a picture. Duh.) Wonder what we can come up with for Valentine’s Day?

Can you believe it's January?

We really are lucky. The weather here for the last few days has been just fantastic. This was the bug on Saturday- hanging in a mini-pool in the backyard.

What a wonderful way to spend a day in January. Nice, huh?

My bug loves bugs

Much to my chagrin. She will often come into my office, "Look Mommy!" and I am hopping up and trying to keep my voice as calm as I can, "Okay honey, let's bring him outside where he belongs."

Works of Art

So this is another Pinterest project. I am just loving that site.

This is one of our only free walls, and actually it wasn't really free. I had to oust a fish picture. The man looooooves to fish so we have fish and related things on display in the kitchen (because he also loves to cook and does most/all of the cooking) and into the family room as they are connected.

So, down came the fish picture and up went the empty frames with clips. That simple. Now we can hang all of the bug's art as it comes home from school. These are the first things home from preschool, and it is only the second week. They will go into whatever frame fits the size via the binder clip. So easy. And the frame on the bottom and the top can also be switched to hang the other direction if needed. I think we were studying red this week....

Memory Jar

I browse through Pinterest and love what I come across. Many of the things really inspire me. I don't pin clothing ideas, or things I want to buy, or a lot of way out things. Most of what I have on my boards is stuff I actually want to do. And I am moving through that list.

Take the Memory Jar. The description was along the lines of 'write down memories throughout the year and then read them on New Year's Eve (or maybe it ws New Year's day - whatever). So I found an old container in the box of things I have in the garage for that just in case we want to use this later type event, made some labels explaining the deal, cut some strips of paper, taped a small envelope to the outside for the strips, and VOILA!

And we have actually been using it. It sits on the kitchen counter (with way too many other things). So we see it. So we use it.

Here is a great example of what we put in there. Saturday was the 'Celebration of Life' for the man's uncle. It was actually a really nice day. And after the planned events we had some of the cousins back to our house for pizza and such. Well as we were sitting outside in the evening, as it grew dark, it grew a bit chilly. So the man went in and brought out some wraps for a few people. The bug comes out of the house a few minutes later with some of her blankets in her hands and gives them to people she thinks might need them. Unbidden. No conversation. This child is three. I am amazed by her. And proud.

Anyway, that story went in the jar. I don't know if I would remember it otherwise. And I am so glad that now I will.

Great Summer Tradition

Both the man and I were raised just a few towns over from where we are now, on the coast in So Cal. We are very fortunate that the beach played a huge role in both of our childhoods. We each remember having family dinners at the beach. And while we did grow up just a block apart, and have known each other since grade school, these memories are separate. Our families didn't 'hang' together. No reason, they just didn't. But the activities were similar.

And then when the bug came along we started thinking, and realizing, just how great we had it. We love those memories. And we want the same for our girl. But then we (okay, I) realized that if she were to have those same types of memories, then it was up to us to make them happen. They weren't always just going to come along. And there wasn't really anyone else to put them in place. So sometime this summer, I think it was probably mid to late July, we started having dinner at the beach on Sunday evenings. We invited everyone. If you could make it, great. If not, see you next week. Now that it has cooled off a bit we aren't there every week. I still plan to go down a few more times before it gets too dark too early.

The funny thing is that the first few weeks we picked up KFC and brought it down. Everyone had their own great memories of getting KFC and bringing it to the beach at some point in their lives. Very nostalgic!

We stayed until sunset, then packed up some very worn out little sandy bodies and took them home to warm baths. This is me with the bug and her cousins (not telling who is who :-) ) watching the sunset all bundled up.

A developing sense of style...

I love the outfits she is coming up with lately.

Here we have pajamas as well as wings and a tutu. I think there may be a wand in hand as well. But of course.

And then there is this beautiful ensemble as well. Makes me smile.



I think this may be my favorite....

Beautiful hands

My Bug's beautiful hands.






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Rag Numbers! Finally

So I finally got my rag numbers done. I only did three sets this time. Still a very cute project and one I recommend for a wide variety of ages.




I had originally done rag letters for all the kids in our group. I got the tutorial from Happy Together - such a fun blog.

Batik Squares

This was my other finish on my super productive weekend. This is a top I did quite some time ago at one of the Friday Night Valet Sewing events at Quilters Cottage. Such a fun night. I think I need to do another one of those.....
I had never really been a big batik fan until I saw the quilts Laura had created. Every pattern she did in batiks was just beautiful. So I had to give it a try. It reminds me of underwater. I really like it.

I quilted across the background squares on a diagonal with a beige/tan veriegated thread. Then used a variegated blue to stitch about 1/4" outside each of the border seams. Simple and it works.


This was another new binding technique. New to me at least. I stitched the binding on by machine. So that line of stitching also adds to the quilting I did.

Gratuitous Bug shot.
Look at just how dang cute she is!!! (Biased, I know.)

This was a good day

An update on the big girl bed

Well, we are back to our crib. And everyone seems just fine with it. Our original goal was to get her used to a big bed so that we could do some traveling and visiting and sleep through the night at other peoples houses. But after a week of getting up at least once in the middle of the night, finding her sleeping in the middle of her floor in the wee hours, and a very early wake up, we decided that now may not be the time.

And we all seem much happier that way.

(And I get my little girl a bit longer....)