They're Sew Cute!

Delivering these....



...and attending the party of the century (I hope my girls aren't developing unrealistic party expectations) were our main excuses for driving down to see the Kangs, but there was some other fun to be had too.

4H fun. I {heart} 4H. Last year the girls all went to two 4H sewing camps (their moms are over-enthusiastic about sewing), run by numerous sweet volunteers. If you want to go this year, call Barbara Gross (360)871-5039 (or e-mail her @ nanagross@msn.com). There's a camp in Silverdale mid-July and one in Port Orchard at the beginning of August. Ages 8-18. Last year it cost $30 - for the whole week! Like I said, we {love} sewing camp!



They're developing new skillz...self-esteem....so much self esteem that they might talk a little smack..."Ha! Your mom doesn't know what a French seam is!"

The Perks

Tony is back and sleeping off the jet lag. (Very good. It gives me time to clean. Maybe he didn't notice it all on his way in?) He managed to beat us home, because (Suprise! Surprise!) I didn't leave Portland at 6AM....it was more like 9AM. I blame it on daylight savings time.

As is was, Tony had plenty of time to stage all of the lovelies he brought home from Korea in the living room...and still take an undisturbed nap before the rowdies came home.

There were dresses for the girls (complete with fans and headbands), rubber band guns for the boys, and chocolate for the Mom. Everyone was thrilled.


I'm glad my Honey is home. He was pretty braggy about all of the yummy Korean food he was eating. Little did he suspect, we were in on the action. My niece made us all sorts of yumminess while we were visiting.


As Tony would say, "Now who is vacationing without whom?"

...and, during his layover in Japan,...


...he bought our favorite little mermaid - Ponyo! (...and replaced Sofi's long-lost Pichu. What's that saying about the squeaky wheel....?)

Oh, Help.

I'm in Portland, visiting my sister, and my husband just e-mailed to let me know that he's coming home from Korea TOMORROW instead of Friday. Help. I didn't even do the dishes before I left.

You win some, you lose some.

This little stuffie started out with such promise.


Then I got a little crazy and tried to give it wings.


The wings look somewhat battish...and one is WAY smaller than the other. I still like it, but I feel a little twinge of sadness whenever I see it. It feels like failure.

On a happier note, I finished my Super Jane Quilt. So happy with it. 39 x 43 Baby-sized.


Sarah, I did the quilting in gray. After your picnic quilt, I really like a gray with brightish pastels. It's just an all-over, loopy pattern.


There was a lot of drama over the binding. I originally thought red (there's just a bit of red in the quilt), but then decided yellow was safer...and it would have been, had there been any un-hideous yellows at Joanns. So, I went out on a limb and got the red.

I don't normally pre-wash any of my quilting fabric. It makes it bunch up and look all vintagey when you wash and dry the finished quilt, but I thought...red fabric...of dubious origins (Jo's)...mixed with my quilt that I love. I would have cried if it bled, so I did prewashed the binding.


Why did I call it Super Jane? The front is from just one Nicey Jane (by Heather Bailey) charm pack ($8.50) and the back is a Moda fabric (I bought on sale for $4) called Sweet Baby Jane. So, it's Janes all around...and it turned out super, if I do say so myself.

Shroomy

Oh, I'm finishing a quilt that has been hanging out in my room for a while. It is o-so-gorgeous. I was thinking about giving it as a special baby gift, but I don't know if I can part with it. My baby is still special, right?


I got some fabric in the mail. I say that as if I had nothing to do with it. They just randomly mail it out, and I got lucky. Wouldn't that be nice....

But no - I ordered it. It might be a little whimsical for some people, but I think it could be highly adorable, watered down with some less pictoral prints. Besides, I have a thing for mushrooms. (Not in an addictive, dangerous, fleeing responsibility kind of way....in an "Oh, aren't they cute!" way.)


Say it. "Oh, aren't they cute!"


And hedgehogs are cute too. Don't deny it.

Replaced

Did I tell you we got a new table? We did.

A couple of years ago, when we were in CT, we needed a new table. We were down to four chairs - officially less chairs than butts. Tony was still getting sweet annual bonuses, so I was shopping around for an equally sweet table set - something that would last. Crazy places - like Ethan Allen (what was I thinking?) When I saw the table covers that you would buy to protect said tables, I came to my senses.

Why would we - of all families - even consider buying a "nice" table? It would just be tempting fate - begging one of our kids to carve their name into it! (That was for you, Sadie.)

Anyhooo...as luck would have it, I found a table with EIGHT chairs at a garage sale the next week. I immediately paid for it.

When I went with Tony to pick it up, I said, "Well, how do you like it?"

"I hate it," he replied, without hesitation. "Why do you hate the children?" (This is the same thing he says when I mention bunk beds - which we also have.) "It's a bar height table. They're going to fall and be impaled on their forks." (He didn't actually say that last part, but he was thinking it.)

As it turns out, it was a pretty stupid choice, not because anyone was fatally (or even seriously) injured, but because I'm a whopping 5 foot 1. I always hated sitting at that table. (As I'm sure my husband would say - it served me right.)

MY POINT IS...when I mentioned to Tony that I was o-so-over the tall table and was considering something with benches instead (to curtail a horrid chair-rocking habit in some of our youngsters), he jumped at his chance!

The new table looks like it belongs in a "great hall". (Which is pretty awesome, between Robin Hood and Harry Potter.) It's super-long and even lower than an average table. I love sitting at it. It's perfect for our family.



...but something's missing....


....there....that's better!

Fun, and bright and colorful...and it could be mine...or yours.

Jasmine is giving away this quilt to celebrate her blogaversary. Isn't she cool! I did NOTHING to celebrate mine. Maybe I could scrape up a nice giveaway for my 300th post?