Could Sleep a Week

We spent the weekend in Las Vegas for my sister-n-law’s wedding. I feel like I need to sleep a week just to get back on track. This photo is of Chloe at the wedding working on walking. The wedding was way past her bed time, but she was a trooper and did not get fussy at all.

I made the bride a little gathered clutch using Noodlehead’s tutorial. This was hard using the fabric I picked out a lace and a very silky fabric. I think it would have been a 100% easier if I had just picked out simple cotton fabrics. Here is the front I put a little heart with August 2010 embroidered on the front.

Here is the back. I put another heart on the back with the Bride and Grooms initials.

On the inside I used a white fabric for the lining. Overall a great little project and I plan to make some more using some funky fabrics and possibly doing some appliqué to add character. I usually avoid patterns with zippers involved but this came together pretty nicely. If you would like to make your own gathered clutch head on over to Noodlehead’s tutorial you will find it HERE.

The Granny Stripe
I had been following Attic24 as she was crocheting her Granny Stripe afghan pictured above. What can I say; I love how it came out and enjoyed watching photos of her progress. This year I have been trying to use up some of the stash of yarn that I have accumulated and decided to take a look and see if I had anything to use for my own Granny Stripe.

I had a bunch of this Baby Bee yarn in the white and blue-purple color. I am obsessed with the color combo orange and pink at the moment so picked up the 2 middle colors to go with what I already had. The colors from left to right are: naked, pink-a-boo, bashful, & berry jam.

Here is what I have done so far in the stripe pattern I came up with. I love this pattern and it is so much easier for me than making a ton of granny squares. I am making it large enough incase the 3 of us want to cuddle under it together while watching a movie or if we just want to all be toasty together. You can find the Granny Stripe pattern HERE.

Our new house is coming along. They painted the exterior and still have to paint the front door and put up some shutters. Chris has been able to go inside and check out their progress. He says they have been working on the electrical and the plumbing. I am just happy that there is progress and hopefully they will finish at the projected time. No one I know that has ever built a house had them finish on time, so we will see. I am trying to catch up this week on some work from the office. My plan is to start going through the closets next month and tossing out stuff we don’t want to bring to the new house. I am not looking forward to packing up the house. I am much more excited about working on some slip covers, cushions and some furniture I plan to change up a bit for the new house.

Last Days of Summer

It certainly feels like the dog days of summer around here trying to beat the heat. I have been busy with a few projects; one is a little something I am making my sister-n-law. She is getting married this weekend. The family is all a buzz and excited for the upcoming ceremony.

My summer favorite polish for my toe nails is Frutti Petutie #540 by Sally Hansen. I have not worn polish on my fingers in over 8 years but I sure like it on my toes. This would not be my normal color choice but it looks great on and just screams summer.

I read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See recently and it is such a good book. While reading this book I laughed, I cried, and I thought about my sister & my best friend and my Mom, & my daughter. If you are a woman and have a pulse put this book on your to read list. If you like this one read Snow Flower & the Secret Fan also by Lisa See, which is one of my all time favorite books.

We always have a steady supply of bananas in the house, since Chloe and I usually split one every morning. Potassium is so good for you. I recently read a study that concluded potassium helping to prevent strokes and high blood pressure. Anyway I tend to make a lot of banana bread with the left over ripe bananas. This is my latest concoction it is Banana white chocolate chip macadamia nut bread. I always start out with my favorite old time Betty Crocker banana bread recipe then toss things in and see how it comes out. This one was delicious.

Now that the alpacas are gone our front pasture has filled to the brim with sun flowers. It is amazing; there have to be thousands of them. I could set up a stand and sell them. I will leave you with a few pictures of all their glory.

Saturday Matinee

Today Chloe figured out how to get in and out of her wagon. I left her for a minute and came back to find her sitting in it in her room. She quickly scrambled out of it before my eyes. I moved the wagon out to the living room and she continued to get in and out of it. She keeps adding more skills to her growing list of things that scare me. The wheels are definitely turning in that brain of hers. Here are 2 videos of my little monster.

Cool Stuff

   Chloe has almost outgrown her baby swing. Here is a comparison of her when she was younger and now. The one on the left was taken last October at around 7 months old and the one on the right was taken at 16 months old.

LeSportsac has a line of diaper bags. This fall they are coming out with several more print choices with a few Dad friendly colors. I love their handbags the last one I bought was in a Hawaiian theme print with a tiki and a Hula girl on it that I found at one of their shops in Waikiki.

How cute is this Beatrix Potter tea set? This is so cool I want it for my self. It is a little on the high end price wise but would be perfect as a special gift. You can find it at Stash Tea.

New Home Progress

The builders finally started framing up our new home. We are so excited to see the progress and how much they have done. Last weekend we were able to walk around inside with the framing up to kind of get a feel for how it would be once it is done. We are very pleased with the floor plan and think it will work perfectly for how we live at home. I drove by last Friday and they were still working on the siding and also putting in the garage door. Here are some photos so far.