day squared: mothers and memorial

In an effort to not spoil the surprises, I didn't share these other lined zippered pouches when I showed you the ones I made the teachers.  These were for the "moms" in my life, who all came here for Barrett's birthday.

For my mom, the lover of all things purple, I went with this beautiful floral I used on the back of Ben's baby quilt, and a lavender gingham and zipper.

For Jessica, who is a mom but just not my mom, and a lover of cute prints and retro style, I used some cherry print chambray, a large red gingham for the lining (from the backing of Gigi's placemats), and a bright green zipper.

And for Memaw, lover of all things vintage and cute and gingham and polka dotted, a miniature Dresden plate with seafoam gingham lining (from her placemats), and a bright blue zipper.  The Dresden plate was a tiny 5.5 inches!

And for a treat for myself, and a nod to Memorial Day and the 4th of July, a new wreath.  I spied this wreath in the "Country Door" catalogue, and knew I wanted it badly.  I also figured I could make it myself with a grapevine wreath form and a quick trip to the Joanns floral section (it's like I never venture out of the fabric section).  

It turned out pretty good!  Not as full as the original, but I did hit up Joanns during a 60% off sale for all florals, so it saved me a ton to make it myself.  And it's proudly on the door this weekend as we celebrate Memorial Day!

vogue

Britton went with me to Joanns the other day (shocker, I know), and wanted some fabric.  Instead of saying no to every $15/yd fabric she could find, I said she could pick out two fat quarters.  When we got home, she decided she wanted to make a dress.  Now, a fat quarter is a 1/4 yard of fabric - only 21" by 18", and way too small for a dress.  So she improvised, with some masking tape and a bare bottom!

And, feeling quite like a fashionista himself, Barrett put on Britton's Cinderella dress up shoes and sashayed down the hallway.  Am I the only one who loves taking these pictures, knowing they'll end up embarrassing him in the future? 

Ummm...I was just trying them on.....for a friend...

Can't beat that fierce style!

recital time!

Last Saturday, before Barrett's birthday party, we all went to the Municipal Center for Britton's recital.  Luckily, this wasn't an hours-long production with costumes and all that - it was just Britton and her class showing the parents a ballet routine, tap routine, and some tumbling.

The ballet routine was to "Let It Go," which every girl loved!  Recital outfits were whatever the girls wanted to wear, and Britton wanted to wear a rainbow tutu.  Done!

Tap was to the Olaf song "Summer," so the girls wore sunglasses for their routine.  

For tumbling, each girl got to pick two skills.  Britton showed us her front roll and back roll.

We may have had the biggest cheering section!  Memaw, PawPaw, Aunt Jessica, Cammy, and Emily and Jason joined Barrett, me, and the hubs.

After the routines, the girls got certificates for their participation in the class.  This is Amanda, Britton's teacher.  She was so patient and good with the girls, and so bubbly.

Congrats to Britton for another season of dance under her belt!  She so enjoys dance, and I love watching her improve every week and have fun at the same time.

two fun: barrett's john deere party

We held Barrett's second birthday party on Saturday, and managed to pull it all together and have a great time!  I always underestimate the work of having a party at home, but luckily Memaw pitched in on the food and Jessica brought her bouncy house to entertain the kids.  I had scoured the internet (most certainly Pinterest!) and found some cute ideas I incorporated into the food:

I laid out green and yellow bandanas, then decorated with the hubs' old John Deere tractors he acquired as a kid.  I also borrowed Barrett's little tractors to add in.  I made the Pioneer Woman's Cherry Limeade, and let me tell you - that stuff is addictive and ridiculously yummy!  Memaw let me borrow the mason jar drink dispenser, and it worked out great.

I described the cake to the bakery, and they worked up a "farm scene," and we added the tractor.

The kids had their pick of activities -the bouncy house, the sand table, the playset, and general running around and being wild.  Barrett's cousins, Emily and Jason, were there, plus Chase and Landon from Barrett's class, and Britton's friends Ali and Quinnie.  It wasn't crowded or overwhelming for the kids, and the adults could sit back and relax while the kids played.

Barrett is IN LOVE with the bouncy house

Sand + trucks = fantastic entertainment

Cammy tried on the hats (and helped me put them together the night before).

We're still working on the whole blowing-out-the-candle idea, but Barrett knew that candle needed to go out before we'd cut into the cake - the hubs helped him out.  Little did I know that Barrett loves cake, especially icing!

I didn't want to break up the fun by making the kids sit and watch Barrett open presents, so we held off until later that afternoon.  Jessica gave Barrett some stickers, which he promptly stuck all over his legs!  He received some books and tractors - his two current favorite types of toys.  And weeks ago, when Jessica told me about the power wheels John Deere tractor she was getting Jason and how much he loved it, we went in with Memaw and PawPaw on one for Barrett. He noticed it in the garage this morning and gave it a spin, but he's still getting used to the idea of a tractor that moves without needing him to scoot it along.

Happy second birthday, Barrett!  We had a great time celebrating with you, and your infectious joy for the whole day gave us all a happy day!

barrett: two years old

Today is Barrett's second birthday!  Could this kid get any happier?  Barrett is a light in our family's lives, and I love seeing him get bigger, learn more, try out new words, and always be ready to give me a hug.  

 

We started out Barrett's birthday with a present from Britton.  He took his new book to school today to show his class.  We will give him his other presents on Saturday at his party.

Aunt Jessica, Cammy, Emily, and Jason came into town this afternoon too!  They are joining us for the party, and fitting in a visit too.

It's cake time!  Barrett dived into his cake with abandon!

And we were joined by two Princess Annas!

get your placemats here!

Remember those placemats I made Gigi?  Memaw wanted some too, and I jumped on it. PawPaw got Memaw a new Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas, so I tried to match the same seafoam color as her mixer.  I love the colors of these placemats.  I went with the same pattern, but made them bigger (15" by 17") which resulted in a smaller gingham border on each side.

I just straightline stitched them in the ditch, which created a nice large grid pattern.  I lucked out on the backing!  I was wandering Joanns because I had to pick up Insul-Bright (a batting used in placemats and pot holders that has heat protection).  I wandered through the aisles, and this RV camping fabric was right in front of me.  The color was perfect for the placemats, and better yet, the motif was perfect for Memaw and PawPaw!

And seeing as this is about placemats for Memaw, there's no way I can leave out the gratuitous photos of her adorable grandkids!

69 months old

In a month, Britton will graduate from kindergarten, and in August go to first grade.  She says she's ready, she's excited to ride a school bus and go to a new school, even though she worries about not seeing her friends anymore.  I'm not ready, but she is, and it seems like a new trend that won't slow down - her ready for more, me unsure and unwilling to let go.  

We were driving home from school yesterday, and the subject of Halloween costumes came up.  We were listening to "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins, and I mentioned that I want to be Mary Poppins.  I mean, the umbrella?  The hat?  Gold, people.  Gold.  Britton said that the hubs could be Bert - good call!  I asked her if she still wanted to be a spider, and she said she wasn't sure.  

When we got home, she found an empty box in the garage and wanted to wear it.  Her "box costume," she called it.  I put some holes in it, ran some bungee cords through as straps, and then she had me write "This Is The Box" on the front.  Some bubble wrap as faux hair, and her costume was complete.  That's the thing with Britton - one minute we're talking about Halloween costumes, and the next minute her brain is spinning out a costume. I love it.

Britton loves this warm weather we're having because she can be outdoors all day long.  We went to the park today, and she helped Barrett navigate the walkways, and make it down the slides.  A lady commented that Britton was a great big sister, and that just made her so proud.  She is a great big sister, and has a remarkable patience that she certainly did not inherit from her mother!

Though sometimes a brother can step in during a photo session, uninvited.  Bubble wrap to the rescue.

"That meerkat is mine!"

Likes:  playing with Ben (the boy next door), bubbles, Girl Scouts, anything to do with art, "Angelina Ballerina," practicing ballet and "standing on her toes"

Dislikes:  pasta or spaghetti sauce (it's one or the other on any given day), not getting to play with all of the hubs's shaving cream in the bath