Sunny Day. Rainy Day. Everyday.

27 Apr

If you gave each of my daughters seven dresses apiece, they would be happy.  Jeans prompt tears.  They finagle their way out of pants, unless they are leggings under skirts or dresses.  I sorted Ella’s clothes with her last week.  We moved all the clothes that were too small out of the drawers into the queue of boxes for Sophia and, then, Eva.  For the past two clothes switches, I have also been asking if she likes the piece of clothing before it goes into her drawer for the first time.  We have let go of what she tells me she doesn’t like.  This has made getting dressed easier for her.  As her independence continues to grow, she has taken more of an interest in matching her own outfits.  To make getting her dressed easier for her (and me) I wanted her to have a couple skirts she could put on as often as she wanted with as many different shirts as she wanted.   Sunny days. Sunny days she wishes were rainy days so she can use her new umbrella. Rainy days.  Everyday.

The skirt was made from Sugar City’s tutorial with an awesome thrift store find: 4 yards of uncut chambray.   I can make skirts ’til the cows come home.   She said she would like another one, in a different color, just in case this one is still in the laundry.

 

Wildflower Path

20 Apr

I started this dress last year when I found the spring and summer calico fabrics on sale at Joann’s.  Knowing it would be a great dress for Eva this spring, it was cut out bigger and I have slowly been working on it.

This dress makes me daydream of English cottages.  Moss covered rocks.  Teeny tiny little ferns emerging through last year’s discarded leaves.  Bluebell flowers on the path.  Red geraniums in pedestal urns.  A little babbling creek just the right depth to hike up one’s dress for a midday toe dip.   Acorns to make into acorn fairies.  Cream tea in pots. Farmer neighbors who have sheep to peek their head through our fence. And, laughter filling the walls of our home.

Eva will wear her dress.

In my real life, the moss is trying to peek up between the patio bricks.  I still have yet to buy the geraniums for this year.  I have to fill the plastic pool for a midday toe dip, and we have to drive to the sheep.  But, we have lots of laughter to fill our space.

And, Eva looks just as beautiful in her real life dress as she does in my wandering thoughts.

Oh my, oh my dinosaurs.

16 Apr

Happy Monday to all of you!  We had a great visit with my sister last week.  Among all of the things we did, one of the days we went to the Natural History Museum in D.C.  We brought a picnic and ate on The Mall.

The girls are pretty intrigued by dinosaurs.  Joel and I had taken the girls to the Natural History Museum earlier this year.  They didn’t know much about dinosaurs before we went. But, they now know a ton.  After getting books out of the library.  They have been asking me to take them back so they could investigate the dinosaurs bones.  Ella really wanted to make sure the T-Rex only had two fingers.  Sophie told us if she encountered a Pterodactyl; she would ride him.

The museum has this pretty cool outer space exhibit, as well.  There is a piece of Mars!  They thought that was pretty amazing, too.

I hope you all have a great week.  See you back here soon!  I have a finished dress to show you all this week!

{this moment}

6 Apr

joining in with Amanda for {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{for these moments}

5 Apr

For these moments:

  • the dark stillness of the early morning when all is calm, and you have those blissful few minutes still snuggled in the warmth
  • make believe games.  The girls woke up half and hour ago; they have not asked for breakfast, and they have not even come downstairs yet.  They made their way into the playroom, ushered in Eva, and began a bedtime for their dolls game.
  • unpinning a blocking sweater and realizing (with delight) it blocked to a much larger size.  It will fit my Evie through spring, summer and fall.
  • the squeals of the girls & their friends running in the back yard and hanging from the swing set trying to sneak in as much play before the twilight
  • while the parents sit and linger over dessert and new friendships
  • the chipmunk who has become our friend thanks to the bird feeder
  • one upstairs and one downstairs closet completely cleaned out
  • Lady reading her book to me earlier this week
  • Eva creating a word to call Sophie.  It begins with an ‘S’ and sounds more like ‘sis’, but it most definitely for Sophie
  • my sister coming for a spring visit
  • the spot in the nook of your arm where you baby can snuggle her head at bedtime, rub your face, and say ‘ba ba ba’ (translate: sing me Ba BA Black Sheep)

For these moments, these pauses, the grace of God in the moment, I am so thankful.

What are you thankful for this morning?

in progress

3 Apr

I have been thinking a lot about progress.  More specifically, how we are all in progress, all the time. My thoughts have been focusing on how to enjoy the progress as much as the product.  I seem to be a person who wants to arrive at done once I notice.  So instead, I am trying to recalibrate my definition of ‘done’.  To find the beauty in the step by step and line upon line life we are called to live.  To see the grace in the daily living, in the mistakes, in the learning, in the readjusting, and in the progress.  And, most importantly, for me, to see the progress as the real living.

I have kept stumbling over the progress (big and small) throughout my day.

:: Ella read her first early reader phonics book to me yesterday.  I almost cried.  Cat/Hat/Pan/Fan/Bat/Mat.  I tried to add ‘Can’ to the mix.  She told me we were done for the day.

:: Learning to add a crocheted edge to the sweater I have had done for months and just haven’t had the motivation to learn how to add the border.

:: As I was cleaning up from lunch yesterday, the girls decided to clean up all of the morning’s toys without prompting.  The Lincoln Logs, the books, the crayons, and the spelling letters.  All of it.  My words of praise went so much farther than any reminder, or pleading, I have given previously.

:: Cleaning out closets, and books, and DVDs and continually reminding myself I don’t want it if it is not useful or beautiful to our family (Thank you, William Morris).

:: That even in my moments of frustration, in losing it, I am able to seek forgiveness and ask for grace so that next time I may extend grace.

:: Praying that God would help me love the progress.

five.

30 Mar

My lady turned five last week.  I am so happy she is ours.

We celebrated all day, and she thought it was perfect.

Thank you to my first lady for reteaching me about love everyday: for rearranging my priorities; and with each passing day making me more and more thankful for everyday we have spent together.

You are a girl of details.  Always asking questions and two steps ahead.  Your dad and I think you are going to project manage something huge one day since you are already project managing me and you are only five.

You are a girl of wild imagination.  Lately, I have not even needed to suggest games for you to play.  You have been inventing and acting out elaborate play such as the dinosaurs that need to come to the hospital so you and Sophie can fix their bones.

You are a girl of trustworthiness.  And, this is the one I am most proud of!  You are kind and protective.  I count on you to do the right thing because you have proven you will time and time again.  Eva is desperate and determined to be outside with you and Sophie now that spring is here in all its glory.  Many times I have come outside to find you helping her up the slide and making sure she does not come within ten yards of the swing.  The best part is it is just who you are.

You are so loved!  Happy Birthday!

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