Reunited...and it feels so...super crazy and fun

So, where have I been all week? Partying with my peeps. I got tired of the semi-vacation that Tony's time off of work was creating (in other words, trying to get stuff done while on vacation. How lame, I know.) and finally decided to make it a full vacation. Just in time too, because we left for the official, last-minute "Tunnell Family Reunion" on Friday.


Some of the sillier peeps.

Oh, the family reunion was so awesome. We stayed at "Zion's Camp", so we got to enjoy the benefits of showers, a kitchen, and unlimited paddle-boat usage. We all paddled like crazy. Little James and Lance were in heaven, captaining their ships around the lake, with grown-ups as their fettered rowing slaves.



Who could ask for more. ....ok. Maybe a queen-sized bed would have been nice, but Tony did make the lovely romantic gesture of putting his foot next to mine - across the gulf separating our twin bunk beds. It turns out that, no matter how close you scoot your bunk-beds together, you just can't cuddle.

Still, we got archery....



...feats of strength....



....and skill.....



...plus copious good weather, with a little clamming thrown in.


Who knew that Belfair had so much to offer....plus, their city sign is way awesomer than ours. Think they'll trade?

Vacation...ish...kinda

Tony's on vacation, but since it's mostly a stay-cation, it's a bizarre mixture of sight-seeing, doctor appoinments, and school.

Today consisted of violin practice, math, dance, and doctor appoinments. Boring. ...and we're desperately trying to finish Anne of Green Gables (still!? -I know. We lost it for a while.), since the movie just arrived from Netflix.

However, yesterday was full of fun and quite vacationy! We grabbed some crepes before catching our ferry, made our way to the Reptile Museum in Monroe, stopped at a fish hatchery (to peek at the salmon fry), and drove through the mountains to Leavenworth, Washington's own alpine village.

We made the children try all manner of German foods - much to their dismay. I think Anthony was the only big fan of German cuisine (child-wise), but everyone loved the gelato we got down the street. Cinnamon, cream, tropical lemonade, guava, cookies and cream, mixed berry, and mint. ...and those were just the flavors that people in my family ordered!

My favorite part: walking through the sunshine in a quaint town, overflowing with flowers.

Jonny's favorite part: mountain goats.

Wedding!

I have been a lazy, lazy blogger lately, but it's because I've been so very busy with everything else that has been going on. School, for one thing, has (as it should) been taking up a lot of my time....all of the other stuff is my own fault. I'm the one who decided that I HAD to make a gift for my cousin's wedding, which gift proceeded to suck the life out of me. ...but it turned out so cute. I can't wait until I have time to make one for myself!


Voila! A picnic blanket - complete with rock pockets, to keep it anchored on windy days. It's constructed entirely of vintage sheets, and can't you just picture Cozette crawling around (and occasionally napping) on it?

Yes, I know it is a hideous picture of myself, but you're just supposed to be looking at the quilt! (I need to introduce my husband to the zoom button.)

Recipients: Cousin Rusty and his lovely bride, Molly.


I have to admit it. I missed the wedding. We were running about twenty minutes late. The really horrible thing is that this was my cousin's second (and last - says the bride) wedding, and I missed the previous one too! (We got lost that time.) I'm a terrible, terrible relative - be grateful if you aren't related!


The reception was scenic and beautiful, the toasts were honest and heartfelt. Annika may have snuck into the cake-cutting pictures. Sofia caught her first bouquet. Nice.


...and the couple have a good sense of humor. It was National "Talk like a Pirate Day", so they handed out eye patches. All of the servers wore pirate attire.


Man, my wedding was just plain boring in comparison. ...and that's ok, because we've had a lot of good times since that day.

My New Tat

...is cooler than Aunt Rachel's," says Annika.

My Little Mermaids

Well, I found out what Sofia "bought" at the fabric fair...and why bother sewing? So far they've just been draping themselves in it, but I hear there are plans to sew Hogwarts robes in various colors for all of the toys in our house.

None of the Above

Yes, I know Avocado won by a landslide, but once I set the can next to my bed frame, I knew it just couldn't happen. There was some major clashing of greens going on.

Besides which, I decided that certain children would use it as a ladder to my bed if I used it as a nightstand.

So...sunshine yellow it is. Someday I'll finish my zigzag quilt, and then this really will fit in with the rest of my living room....hopefully.


Annalia: Admit it, Dear. You hate the yellow side table.
Tony: Darling, I hated it even before it was yellow.

Foodie Saturday...and Tuesday

I'm a little late, I know, but here goes my weekly foodie update.


First, the "Two Snooty Chefs" were at Cosmos on Saturday, offering up samples of their wares.
Salt-crusted Beets with Horseradish Cream - I didn't think I'd like it, but mmmm, horseradish.
Mole Eggplant Crostinis - good!
A salad of peach and greens, topped with Hungarian Ragout Vinagrette - all salads should have fruit in them.


You would think that those goods, combined with my Italian Pepper Chicken Panini...
garlic-grilled chicken with a hint of cracked pepper and garlic, topped with a creamy gorgonzola spread and pear-cardamom chutney (yes, that description was straight from the menu, folks!) would tide me over for the week, but when Tony and I found out about the Peninsula Local Food Chef Showoff...we couldn't resist. Tomorrow! Buy tickets and I'll see you there!

The Final Score

...was:
BooBoo/Dad - 86
Jonny - 14
Annika - 8
Sofia - 46
Anthony - 59


It turns out we need a little practice in the bowling department. James tried to horde bowling balls. Annika cried when she got gutter balls (frequently).


Dad: Come on! You can do it Sofia!
Sofia: Shhh! Parental advice is a harbinger of doom!
Dad: oh.
Gutter ball.
Dad: That was my fault, because I couldn't help thinking, "Go Sofia!" I just believe in you so much.


Bowling was a Tony idea. There weren't any good movies out, and we're trying to find cheaper, more interactive family activities. Cheaper? Why yes. On the Bremerton base, you can rent a lane (shoes for 5 included) for $10 an hour. They even throw in some slop time, so you get to finish your game. ...and we were the only ones there - even better.

The Sewing Faire

The girls and I went to the CTA Sewing Faire today.

Annika wondered where all of the rides were. I told her it wasn't that kind of Fair. It also wasn't the casual browsing thru fabrics that I anticipated....more of a fabric fenzy - ladies lined up outside, waiting to be let in.

Fabric and patterns were $1 a pound. Notions were 25 cents a bag. I think I may have faired better if I weren't holding a baby and pushing stroller with BooBoo in it, but I still got some nice fabrics...and one that I loved!


And I bought this sewing machine for Annika for $15. It's a pretty green "Montgomery Ward". It's "portable" but probably heavier than Annika!


Children got $10 worth of product for free, which was basically all of their stuff. I don't even have any idea what was in their bags - it'll be a surprise!

Pre-Thanksgiving

We still had a couple turkeys lazing around in my freezer from last Thanksgiving, and I thought it was high time they started earning their keep. So, we had a little un-thanksgiving feast.
Sofi folded the napkins beautifully, with the water lily for Aunt Rachel. Then she decided we needed a pretty table cloth too. Well, our giant table isn't easy to clothe....so we don't have a table cloth. Not the least deterred, Sofia sent me for one of the old sheets I've been collecting for a project. Doen't it make a lovely table clothe, with it's rows of yellow flowers?
Now I don't know if I can give those sheets up after all.

It took me a moment....

...to figure out those were James's fingers.


And I finally finished my Mom's birthday present - only four months late! Maybe I should have just saved it for NEXT year. Then I could have been on time for something!

What You Can Learn Thru Fabric Shopping with Children

As a part of sewing camp, the Clothing and Textile Advisers give away a nice, new sewing machine every year. To win the machine, you write them a letter after you participate in camp, telling them why you like to sew and your plans for the machine.

We made ALL of the girls write letters this year. I think Annika's was two sentences long (but very sweet). Sofia's was HI-LARIOUS (to me) and decorated with adorable sewing-themed drawings. No surprise that neither of them were selected, since I don't think either of them desperately wanted or needed the machine. (I think Sofia suspected I wanted it for myself...not true!)

Each of them received a personal letter in response to their submissions, along with a $10 gift certificate to Pacific Fabrics. How sweet and typical of those wonderful CTA ladies...always encouraging the girls to sew!

Pacific Fabrics had their fabric for 20% off on Labor Day, so that seemed like the ideal time to use their gift certificates.

Sofia found a yellow fleece to make yet another Pikachu toy with, but I've learned to have faith in her creativity. She's making it according to accurate measurements from the Pokedex, with interchangeable Velcro-on eyes, so that you can alter it's expressions. She says she wants to design toys when she grows up, but why wait....?



Annika want to make a quilt "for charity". I tried to talk her into school bags (tis the season), but she was immovable. She's determine to make a blanket/quilt. I did convince her that the fabric she picked out was "generationally inappropriate" (more for someone well over seventy) for a baby quilt, so she settled on something covered in pink parasols. We're going to make simple baby quilts and donate them through the LDS charities.

What have I learned from this experience? Sofia is more creative than I am. Annika is more generous than I am. Thanks for sharing your creativity and generosity with me, girls.

In Other News...

I thought I was ready for the rainy season to start, and I am totally not! Where am I going to finish spray-painting my side table? I made a solem vow not to do it in my garage any more. (There's already red paint all over the garage floor!)...and I never did stain my fence this summer...or revamp my compost pile...and what am I going to do without the the lake for my "mommy time-outs". It's time away from my kids, while still doing something nice for them and enjoying watching them frolic!

In other news: Cozette has decided that her toes are suckable, which appears to be the funniest thing that has happened in our family to date.



This resulted in numerous Cozette immitations.



I think Anthony's was my favorite.

Foodie Saturday

Wow. Everything was so yummy. It's amazing that I didn't go home with a jar of fig preserves and some peppadews. ....probably just because we weren't going home. We were headed over to Snohomish, to see if we could help with any of the moving craziness. (Two of my siblings got the keys to their new houses last week!)

I love going places with Tony. I love having someone (adult) to talk to in the car. I love fighting over the stereo. He turns off my Italian. I turn off his talk radio. I brought a ton of hand-sewing with me and finished it all on the way there. Luxury.

We didn't end up being especially helpful (so full of good intentions), but pulled a few weeds...peeled a little wallpaper (Tony was reminded of his passionate hatred of wallpaper)...ate a little pizza. It was lovely to see everyone. I hope my loved ones haven't all transformed into balls of stress. Becky, if no one helps on Monday, I can come over on Tuesday. I'll bring my indentured servants as well - Anthony is actually a pretty mean bathroom cleaner.

Whatcha Think?

Are these too...I don't know....kitchy? Should I go buy the third, largest one or just acknowledge my mistake and move on?

Two Cool Things Happening This Weekend

...and I'm not talking about your moves, you moving people you. (You know who you are.)
1 - Old Navy has cute ladies t-shirts for $5. I just bought 5. If I'm going to wear t-shirts all of the time, maybe I'll look a little less sloppy if they're new? (...and pretty colors)





2 - On Monday, Michael Medved is doing a show on Reagan. His no-call-in days are always my favorite. I can't help thinking he was the best history teacher of all time. Listen. You'll love it.

Braggin Time

Ok. I just have to brag a little.

I was at Target today. Had my "provident pouches" on the counter, because it's day 3 of the budget (and I'm still being diligent). The cashier grabbed one and tried to ring it up! I guess they don't look TOO homemade. Maybe Target will start carrying them?

The Shindig

I don't know if it's technically a shindig - it may not be THAT much fun? ...but yes, it's still on for tomorrow at 10. Come play.

Scraps

It was sure a good thing I made that apron for Sarah, because they are clearly having a major apron shortage at their house. :)

Crazy Mom thinks she has issues. Well, join the club. I have a major compulsion about finishing projects...even ones I've come to hate. I also feel compelled to use every last scrap of my fabric - especially if it came from a quilt store or is just lovely.


But I must admit that some good projects occasionally come out of having compulsions. It did give me the cute scraps and the motivation to make this clothe-hanky-distribution-system, somewhat like Soule Mama's...or at least copied off of hers.


Found any good projects for your scraps lately?