Party Time

Last month (hey, I have been busy!) was Chris' birthday and we celebrated with a birthday/housewarming party. There are few times in my life when I have planned things and they have gone exactly like I have imagined. I tend to be a big planner. I like details and grand gestures and yet rarely do I have the forsight or budget to execute my grand ideas. So my three ring circus is usually just some gas station cotton candy and a kazoo and I am left disappointed. But this time, it was magic. We had a ton of people, a ton of food, live music, crazy kiddos, house tours, Wii on a big screen for the teens, and just FUN. I want to do it again! Maybe tomorrow!

I was running around giving tours, playing music and refilling the grinds so I didn't take one single picture but I did steal several from Erin's facebook. My mom took several, also which I will post later. . .if I remember.

Richard was our A/V guy and set up a little sound stage for us. He kicked off the entertainment portion of the evening with his classic 'Beard Song'. A sure, not-to-be-missed.
Chris sang some of his songs. . .I love when he sings. He should do it more. Another reason for more parties!


Richard trying to jam along to my horrible playing. I don't practice much. Enough said. It was fun, though!

My cutie with my cutie sister. Alyssa was an angel and took care of Lily about the whole time. She even had to clean up an "accident" while I was playing with Erin and Alisha. Thank you, Alyssa!

This is a rare shot of the first performance of the Blithe reunion tour! It was SOOOOO fun to have Erin drive up and to have Alisha close enough to get the ol' college band back together. We didn't practice at all just sat up there and tried to play an old song. And if I do say so myself, it wasn't that bad. And, since I have no audio to prove it wrong, that is the truth you must all now believe. It was so fun I can barely type without smiling. I do miss those girls.

Alisha and I have been able to get together a few times to "jam" since I have been back in Utah. She is so talented and kind. I am so happy she puts up with me. I have such a great time singing with her.

Perhaps my favorite part of the weekend was having Erin come stay the night. I love Erin. She is a life long friend and so generous and thoughtful. She makes me smarter every time I am near her. She is so beautiful inside and out. Our house was truly happier with her in it. Thank you, Erin, for making the trip. She took some darling pictures of Lily (also stolen from her facebook. . .hee hee) and was a good sport about my tour of our town. Come back, Erin, come back!

And the WINNER is. . .

Jodi!

Jodi said 

"So Darling (both the hat and your daughter)! Thanks for the chance to win!

Jodie "

Thanks Jodi and thanks to all who entered and left such nice words.  I hope to have more giveaways in the future.  It was so fun to enter all of the great prizes. . .and just maybe I will win one, or two, or. . .

GIVEAWAY DAY IN MAY!

Sew Mama Sew is hosting another giveaway day for all the crafty blogs of the blogworld and for you to win free stuff from them. And from this bloggy blog you can win this:

Not HER. . .the Urban Riding Hat she is sporting.
This little hat, although not super summery, is a great accessory to any toddler's wardrobe . It is made from cream with brown dotted baby cord (I don't know if this is the official name of the fabric, but you know the itty bitty cord) and lined in dark brown satin.  As always, click the pictures to get a better view.  


For anyone who does read this blog, yes, it is exactly like the one that I made for Lily and posted a while ago. I promise, though, that the winner will get one I made that has never been worn. I actually made three hats like the one Lily has on, so you can be confident that you are getting a smoke, kid and pet free hat (our cat still is living with my mom).
If you want a chance for this little cap, just comment on this post and one lucky poster will be chosen at random on May 31.

Good luck to all of you fellow crafters. Make sure to go check out all of the giveaways happening today at http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=805
I would say this hat would fit 12 months to 3 years.




Oh, and yes, I will ship internationally.

High School

I can't believe that I have been out of high school for ten years. That just sounds old, and it doesn't feel like it has been an entire decade. Well, maybe it has. Truthfully, if I look back, I don't remember that much about high school. I think I was a little late in finding my "true identity" and that college may have had a greater effect on me than high school. Still, I think we all think about our lives in terms of what we have done since high school and what we have become since leaving public school.
Chris had his 15 year reunion this weekend. After finding out that most of his close friends would be in town we decided to make a weekend of it. Scandinavian Days, the local festival in Ephraim, was the same weekend and I was happy to make the trip just for that. They have story-telling, Scandinavian food, a parade, a 5k, craft booths and of course, large inflated things to jump in.

Lily loved the parade and was not a bit shy about going after the candy.

We stayed at one of Chris' buddy's parent's house (parents are in China) and had a great time. John and Jane are truly some of the nicest and fun people I have ever met. It is great to marry into great friends. Jane is simply adorable and we have a lot in common, so it was so fun to spend time with her and her two cute girls.

In the parade was the car Chris drove to high school! We found the car on our way to the festivities and Chris had to have a pic with the pink cruiser. Lily gained a whole new respect for her father upon learning he drove a pink car. Chris was just happy to see his old ride still cruising the streets of Ephraim, and in a parade, no less.

The highlight for the girls was the turtle that someone had just brought to show off. They had built a little handlebar harness system so smaller kids to ride it! It was hilarious!

Water = Happy. Welcome Summer!

We have been having fun exploring our local hikes and waterways. Lily and her cute cousins could not resist jumping in this pond we came across on our walk last Sunday. It was all I could do to keep Lily un-naked. To Lily, a large body of water is eqauted with nudity. I think she gets it from her uncle, Richard.


I only have one question: If your kid falls asleep in the car after playing in a pond and covered in Doritto dust after eating only chips in the car for dinner, do you wake her up to bathe her? My answer, and I stand by this, is NO, no you do not. You do sponge bathe her with wet wipes, but under no circumstance do you wake her.

Sewing

Here is my latest attempt at embroidery. Here is a little eye pillow with slipcover and carrying case. I love making these. It is a free pattern by Amy Butler and is just such a fun, easy thing to make for a gift or for yourself. The embroidery was a bit more complicated that I had played out in my mind. It was fun and turned out well in the end. In the middle of it I swore off embroidery and then by the end I couldn't wait to start another project. It is en route to Boston for my monthly swap.

Lily was invited to a birthday party for a little girl on our street. Unfortunately, we couldn't go as we were off to Ephraim for a weekend of High School reunions and Scandinavian Festival. I made this little skirt and whale clip for her and thought I would show it off here. I admit, I am in love with pom pom trim. It is really a problem. I want to put it on everything. I wanted to make one for Lily for about two minutes. But then, after it took nearly a full candy bar to get her to model these few shots, I knew it would be wasted on her. She will never wear what I make! Grrrr!

Here is the back view. I did not make the silk bow. I bought a few of these at Gymboree. They must have gone to something but they were on clearance by themselves for 50 cents and I couldn't resist.

Here is my attempt at a story pose. I thought I would do a party skirt, since it was for a birthday girl. I told Lily to pretend to blow out candles. This is what I got. And this is your first peek at my new house. Behold: My Front Door. More to come. . .

Pink, Paint and Puddles

Nothing helps heal a sad or sick heart like getting good and dirty. Lily loves the rain. She has been begging for an umbrella to play with and finally, the Easter Bunny broke down. She calls all stagnant water "mud puddles" and love to jump and splash in any she can find. . .much to the chagrin of me, her mother, on any shopping trip or walk to church.


I have been getting many a request for pictures of the new place. I will get there, I promise. Here is a before picture of Lily's room. A couple of days after she got out of PCMC we took her to the new house to help us paint her room. I thought it might make her feel more excited about moving in if she got to be a part of it. Maybe I am putting too much expectation on a paintbrush and a two year old, but that is where my mind was. She loved it. Pink paint was abounding and so were the smiles. She did a great job. . .with a little help from Chris. "After" pictures to follow.

I have to say that is so great to have our painting, mud puddle jumping girl back. She was so sad in the hospital and so sick for about three days afterward, but now has gained weight, and is as spunky as ever. She still says after drinking a big cup of water "I drank soooo much water, the doctor is going to be so happy at me!" It is pretty cute.