sew long summer

What's behind door #1?

My sewing closet.

It's actually home to that interesting octagonal window.

Sorry about the snow scape. I only seem to take pictures of the outside of our house when there's snow.

I have spent a lot of this summer perfecting my meager sewing skills. I still get pretty frustrated with the wording associated with patterns but I am slowly getting better. I consider myself more of a craft sewer but am looking forward to improving my clothing sewing. After all, Presley is sure to need a wedding dress one day...maybe, NOT!

Here are a few of my summer projects.

A big box that only weighed about 3 lbs. What's inside?

Bean Bag filling. For...

Presley's personal bean bag floor pillow.

On top of the mountain.

And some baby gifts.

Tag blankets, burp cloths, paci clips, & bibs.

Since I am all girl around here, I thought I would take a stab at something boyish.

how 'bout them apples

I have recently developed a great love for fresh produce. Most folks know that I am not a huge fan of vegetables, but when it comes to fruit, well I like just about everything. This was my 4th trip to the local apple orchard, and I can't help but smile as think about how things have changed. Our first trip was shortly after we arrived in Lubbock nearly five years ago. We also went when I was pregnant with Pres, and then when Pres was much too little to enjoy the bounty of the orchard. Well, I would say she got to enjoy this trip; my little girls eyes lit up while running the tree-lined rows picking up every apple she came across. It was a beautiful day and there were big, beautiful apples for miles. I tried to control myself but found every apple bigger and better looking than the last. Like most trips to a pick-your-own place, my eyes were much bigger than my stomach and my cookbook. We ended up with about 8 pounds of apples minus a few ounces for the one Presley finally picked out to munch on. Time to get my Martha Stewart on...

Isn't it interesting that you can take something so wholesome and healthy, add lots of butter and sugar, and make it into something soooo bad for you?!?

17 months later...

When I was pregnant, I convinced Jon that every good husband purchased their wife a "push present", a gift to commemorate giving birth. He picked up on my hint and purchased me a necklace that would include Presley's fingerprint. We got the kit and have spent the last 16 months trying to get a fingerprint to send in. If you take a look at a little ones fingerprint, it is extremely subtle and I could never tell if we were actually getting a print. We finally decided to just send in what we were able to get and here's the result.

It comes with all these special instructions because of the type of material it's made of so no showering, sleeping or exercising in it. None the less, it will be a piece I can treasure forever. Thanks Jon, for a super awesome push present 17 months later.

are those trees?

The only time we are blessed to see big, beautiful, old trees is when we visit Little Rock or head down to south Texas. A trip to south Texas it was. Presley and I packed our bags for a girl's trip to Brownwood, Texas, a small town about 4 hours southeast of Lubbock. We went to visit with the family of an Orthopedic Surgeon who graduated from Tech in June and took a job down there. Presley did great on the car ride thanks to a borrowed DVD player, and my bladder held and allowed us to make the trip without any stops. It was a lovely taste of the life that awaits us after Jon is finished with all of his training. Their house was amazing! It sits on 5 acres of beautiful wooded land, and the backyard pool was a nice bonus. We spent the weekend in the most kid-friendly house we have visited yet; swimming, playing at the park and eating ice cream. Hopefully we'll make this trip several more times so we can enjoy this little taste of nature we miss so much.

All eyes on the DVD player.

Such a great house.
Only 23 more months until we can have one like this too!

All smiles with Tyler.

Tunnel vision.

She couldn't get enough of this toy that she was way too big for.

A creek that runs behind the house. When the water level is up, there's a pump that takes water up to a waterfall.

Swinging on the big swing.

Trying ketchup with her hot dog for the first time. She ate more of the ketchup than the hot dog.

I found that Twizzlers made for the perfect time occupying snack but they do leave their mark.

definitely spoiled

We were treated with a visit from PawPaw and Grammy this past weekend (Jon's parents). They were in Ft. Worth and decided to come the additional 5 hours for a quick visit. We love having family visit and Presley is always up for some extra attention.

Presley in her new outdoor house.

Laying out the welcome mat.

Bubbles!

Two hard-working Wyatt's.

A new game with the balls.

Stuffed.

Her new rocking chair complements of some hard work from Mommy.

Rock, rock.

Making time for a Mom's Night Out.

After our Zumba class.

At the pool.

Rounding out the night with dinner eaten with both hands at a normal pace.

It's a new car!

From Grammy and PawPaw

Eating Jello jigglers.