Momma's Day

I've celebrated four Mother's Days already. That's so crazy. They have all been great in that I am so blessed to have been given the opportunity to raise two of the most precious boys in all the world. I still can't believe they let me take these boys home from the hospital. I remember being surprised that I could just leave with Parker. I mean, I knew he was mine, but I hadn't had to take classes or get a license, yet I was completely responsible for taking care of this tiny bundle. This little man made me a Mommy, and I just love him for it.

This Mother's day was especially great because I actually got to relax and enjoy myself. The first three years were spent taking care of my munchkins like any other day, which I don't mind, but in no ways allows relaxation. This year, Graham was still with my mother-in-law as we traveled back from Indiana, and Parker is really a pleasure to be with now. OK, that sounded bad. Graham is a pleasure too, just in a gotta-manage-his-noise-and-movement-like-crazy in a non-restful kind of way.  I was able to enjoy a meal without getting covered in food, handing out 50 stickers, and cutting up a piece of chicken into 50 pieces. Got me? I still couldn't handle not seeing my second child on such a special day, so before we made it completely home, I crept my in-laws to kiss my second baby on the head while he was sleeping. He is so lovey.

My day started with going to church with my grandma in Fort Wayne, IN. I was there for 2 days because David was a groomsmen in a wedding. One of his old collage buddies was getting married outside of Chicago and Ft. Wayne was on the way. He dropped Parker and I off and the came back to get us on Sunday. It was special to be with my grandma since I had never spent a Mother's Day with her.

Parker and I had a great weekend with my grandparents. Parker just loves my grandpa Ray.
It only takes us about 5 1/2 hours to get to Ft Wayne and the trip there is a really pretty one. We take mostly state routes through Ohio farm country. It may sound boring to you, but I think there is just something so pretty and serene about the wide open spaces and little quaint towns.

We got a kick out of this sign.

On our way home, I really wanted to stop in some of the small towns. I figured they would all be closed since it was Sunday, and was mostly right, until we drove through Mt. Victory. 

Mount Victory is heavenly for those who like to like antiques or thrifting. The town is actually nothing but antique shops and prides itself on the idea that it is the perfect day trip destination. Check it out here so if you're even in Ohio, you can stop by. I got lucky and 5 out of its 14 shops were open when we drove through. 

David let me shop for about an hour. So. Much. Fun. Parker got to get up close and personal to a few trains that go straight through the little town, so he had as much fun as I did. I limited my purchases because I had didn't have a lot of room to get them home, but here's my stash.

I have a few projects in mind for my junk treasures. I saw some of the neatest stuff while shopping. Most of it was handmade and made well. Check out this old crib. How pretty was that back in the day. It just needs some love to make it prefect for some beautiful nursery. Don't mind the creepy doll in the picture or the random stuffed bass ;)

Before we left one store, the clerk told Parker to pick out a car form one of the old toy bins. You would have thought this old car was worth a million dollars. Parker talked the rest of the day about how nice that "old man" was. He's played with it every day since we've been home.

My day didn't end there. Our next stop was for dinner. We got hungry outside of Columbus, and decided to stop and eat in a suburb called Dublin. Another cute town. It's amazing what you get to see when you travel by car and explore without a predetermined objective. We got some food at the Dublin Village Tavern. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Parker was entertained the whole meal by passersby and their dogs. We had him try to get a picture of David and I. Oops. Not quite.

Closer. Almost.

 There you go!. Good job, Park.

I am one really blessed mother and am so thankful for my family.  Some days are so hard as a mom but this day I felt appreciated and it helped remind me why I do what I do ;)

send love with dresses

There is a blog that I like to follow called Smile and Wave. The writer is Rachel Denbow. She has adorable style, she's a mother, but more importantly, she has a heart for people. Today on her blog, she is supporting a cause that helps children in Haiti. She is making simple, quick pillow case dresses for orphans and is asking that others pitch in and help too.  I've chosen to put a few of my own projects on hold to make a few dresses for little girls who don't have much to wear. I don't have a ton of money to give, nor do I have a lot time, but I can sacrifice 30 minutes to make a dress that will clothe a precious little girl in Haiti. Click here to visit her post today and help out if you can. All the information you'll need is right there on her blog post.

A Work in Progress

After I got married, my mother-in-law introduced me to a sewing machine. It was foreign and intimidating. Over the past few years, I've learned a lot and feel pretty darn confident now when it comes to sewing, that is, until you hand me a pattern. Pillows, curtains, shape-less dresses, mending-I've got them down. Patterns seem so scary to me. However, I've realized if I want to keep improving my skills, I must make myself learn to follows them. When I was in Seattle, I picked up an AMH pattern, and decided to attempt it for my Mother's Day dress. I didn't get to it for a while, but when I opened it up, the doubt starting creeping in. It's like reading another language. And let me add, I picked up a super easy pattern.

The only other time I've tried to follow a pattern is when I made Parker's Halloween costume.

I have to admit though, I cheated...a lot. When I didn't understand the instructions, I just did my own thing. This time, I vowed to do everything the way the pattern advised so that I could practice and truly learn. I was starting to wonder if I was completely off when the dress took this form.

 

It looked more like an airplane than a dress, don't you think? Anyway, it came together quite nicely and because I followed all the seam allowances, I even ended up with functional pockets. After ward, I couldn't decided whether or not to add rosette embellishments.

I played around with which way to wear the dress as well. I ended up technically wearing it backwards because I liked the rounded baby-doll look for the front and the V was kind of cute in the back. I added a belt to help with the figure and decided to not use the rosettes. I might still sew them on at a later date. While about to finish the dress, I found out that I would be spending Mother's Day in Indiana. When I looked up the weather, I was disappointed. Fifties and raining. Fantastic. Not quite sleeveless dress weather. I decided to shorten the dress and make it tunic length so I could wear leggings underneath. After adding a cardigan, it felt much more weather-appropriate. I really wanted to sport these cute yellow peep-toe flats with the ensemble, but boots seemed a better fit for the cold. 

 

The finished product on Mother's day. I'll do a separate post on my special day because it is worthy of its own post. Yes, my day was that great. Probably my favorite Mother's Day out of the past four.

And the back (technically the front).... 

 

The dress was a little too tight across the top, actually more in the armholes. However, after putting a few hours into this baby, I wasn't about to let a little snugness stop me from wearing it.  Next time I use this pattern I'm going to allow a little more room for my arms. (What a great self-esteem booster-lol.) I can't wait to try my next pattern. Who knows, maybe I'll attempt a zipper???

Happy sewing :)

Spontaneity

I have a bit of type A in me. Most of us do. Last weekend, I threw that structured, non-impulsive side of me to the wind. It was Friday afternoon and David would be home in an hour. I started thinking about our weekend. What should we do? Sitting in the house with two youngsters never goes well and we often end up stressed and unhappy by the time Sunday rolls around if we never get out and about.

Columbus zoo popped in my mind. Why not drive up there and spend time together, just the four of us, as a family. I called David and proposed my idea thinking he'd be like, "This weekend?" Nope. He said it sounded great and he thought we should leave when he got home and stay the night up there.

That's just what we did. David got home at 5:30 and we hit the road at 6:00. I didn't tell the kids where we were going until we were on our way. Parker was so excited about the animals. Graham was so excited about Parker's excitement.

We got to the hotel around 9:30ish and I tried to put the boys down immediately. They got all hyper when we first arrived because it was a new place, but I shut down all the fun when I turned the lights out. I was happily surprised how well Graham did in his pack-n-play because he barely fits in there now. He wanted it next to the bed...next to Parker. Those two are something.

We got an early start in the morning thanks to Graham, and after hitting McDonald's for breakfast (sounds delicious, eh?), we were on our way to the zoo.

Because the boys got less that 12 hours like a typical night, they fell asleep on the way to the zoo. Both of them. Out like a light.

 

It was such a fun day with them. I just LOVE making memories like that will my boys. Though it was cold, it was a beautiful day.

 He went all by himself and was very proud that he didn't need mommy by his side. My baby is growing up!

 Graham could care less about the goats. He just wanted to throw hay.

 We got him to brush the goat for like .5 seconds before launching it across the barnyard.

 He liked the sheep.

 If you look close, you can see David's hand shoving the boys' heads through the holes. I was wondering why they were being so still.

 Parker likes to roar. He roars at everything. All day. It's obnoxious and cute all at the same time.

 Elephant love.

 This was taken right before Graham decided to nap. He was over the zoo.

 Parker did so good feeding the birds!

 Graham just wanted to share his passy.

 My little bug.

 Sad monkey. I wanted to cheer it up.

 Finally succumbed to the sleep deprivation. I love his itty bitty nose.

 Yeah. He did put his arm around the cardboard man. I am married to the guy who does that kind of thing.

 On the train with Daddy.

 Momma's a little too passionate about the train ride.

 Graham has his passy in every picture. I promise. I really am starting to break him. I should really say I am starting to break me :)

 

  Ice cream was the perfect end to a spontaneous family day at the zoo.