the sky is pink

I know you are probably just about as sick of seeing Sawyer's new pants as I am sewing them. The next time I decide someone needs nine new pairs of pants/shorts/skirts for a season (wait, let me recant the skirts ), please someone remind me that monotony almost killed Lera . This is almost the end of Sawyer's new fall/winter wardrobe. Unfortunately for us (me for sewing and you for reading), there are two more pairs that are cut and awaiting to be sewn. I'm sorry that I have to bore you with this. But, really , it's the most interesting thing happening around here lately. The green pants are wide-wale corduroy and the rusty-colored ones are a velvety, no-wale (per the lady at the fabric store) corduroy. Corduroy has been on sale lately and dirt cheap. I couldn't resist. I just adore corduroy this time of year. The pockets on the pants are actually "back pockets," but for the sake of only taking one photo (and boring you less), I flipped the pants around....

The pink cast is off. She is sad in the top photo because on the very last cut to remove the cast, her inner thigh was cut. She screamed. (I had to crop out some of that photo to keep her modest in her skirt.) The doctor said she probably wouldn't walk for two days. She wouldn't bear weight on it and if she did (like when I accidentally bumped into, which forced her weight to shift onto her boo-boo leg), she would cry. She is walking a little bit now. A little on her toes. A little with her foot and knee turned outward. The doctor said she would walk funny for ten days. Last night she celebrated with a bath with pink water and bubbles. And, apparently, I learned last night that (while I was fixing dinner), she celebrated a little more: s he walked to the trampoline and tried to jump! I was not privy to that information until bedtime. And I gasped. And I told her to please not jump anymore for a while. Until mama's heart can heal.

So the question of the week has been: Will Spenser wear the princess dress ? I was a bit worried when I found her like this Saturday afternoon saying she wanted to be a knight, like Carter, for Trunk or Treat; but after she put on her princess dress and hat and realized that people were going to put candy in her bucket, she was all for being a princess. A princess that had to carried around and waited on, hand and pink-casted foot . And speaking of the pink cast ... we're heading to the orthopedic this morning and she is supposed to have the cast removed. They are going to x-ray her leg before taking off the cast. Keep your fingers crossed. (I'm almost giddy like a child on Christmas morning. I really can't wait!) Note about the hat: I ended up stapling the fabric onto the craft foam, shaped it into the cone, and stapled it in place. There is some cute flower trim glued on to hide the staples along the bottom edge. The lace and ribbons were tied together with a knot...

Okay. Here is a glimpse of Spenser's princess dress . The one I haven't touched all week. The one she needs to wear Saturday night. It needs to be hemmed. That's all. I lost my mojo after she decided she didn't like it. I need to make her a hat. Similar to this . I had planned on making it out of poster board until I saw this about craft foam. I just bought some this week. I really hate the way it feels. It freaks out my hands. It's too dry and smooshy or something. I don't know exactly. I would like to cover it in pink lace (like her dress). I forgot to buy spray adhesive and I don't think I have any here. Do you think watered down craft paint would work? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thread and fabric are my main medium. Yucky foam sheets and glue are not. (And the less I have to touch that stuff, the better.) Just added: I forgot to tell you that Spenser fell down a flight of steps last night. She was trying to do it by herself in her cast...

Soccer season is coming to an end over the course of the next few weeks. Mason had his soccer "tournament" on Saturday (I use that term lightly for the Under-6 age group); Jackson has his this Saturday; Carter the following Saturday; and Taylor the Saturday after that. All but one of the coaches are male. I really wanted to give them a thank-you gift, but didn't think they would appreciate totes or wristlets or tissue pouches or crowns (... on second thought, a crown! ). I found the perfect soccer ball fleece on sale this week and decided to cut it into scarves. The scarves are two yards in length (including the fringed ends) and eight inches wide. I was able to cut seven scarves out of the width, when cutting along the grain. I bought additional yardage for my boys and made their scarves about 1 3/4 yards in length. Using a rotary cutter and mat made the job so much easier than using scissors. Joe is in Kentucky this week and called yesterday morning to tell me th...

Last week was National School Lunch Week . Our school always celebrates by inviting the parents to have lunch with their children during the week. On Monday I had lunch with Mason (kindergarten) and Jackson (first grade). They weren't expecting me, so it was a nice surprise. They were also happy when I gave them money for ice cream. On Wednesday, when I was supposed to have lunch with Carter and Taylor, the power was out at the school, lunch times were shifted ahead and I missed it . I would have gone Thursday, but Carter had a field trip. Yesterday I surprised both Carter (third grade) and Taylor (fifth grade) and showed up for lunch. Although they weren't expecting me, I don't think they were very surprised to see me. There's such a difference in age groups. With the younger kids, the boys' classmates came around me like flies to honey. The other children sat next to me and continually tried to get my attention, leaving little time for conversation between m...

I loved all of your comments from yesterday's post . I'm so happy to know that I'm not the only one freaked out by spooky, unexplained noises when the husband is away. I've been struggling with Halloween costume ideas for Spenser. I suggested a bride or Little Red Riding Hood. She requested a princess. Bride? Princess? Almost the same thing in my sewing opinion. So Sunday night was the night I thought I would start working on this (I needed some thing to divert my attention from the strange sounds). I didn't have a princess dress pattern. And I hadn't bought any special fabric, but I had some white satin and pink lace in my stash. I decided to use the basics of a pattern for an angel costume that I had made two years ago for her and modify it. I cut the fabric, sewed it together and left a few edges (sleeves and hem) untouched so I could fit it to her the next day. When she woke up, I told her I had been working on it. She was so excited. Until she saw i...

I saw Joe briefly this weekend. He came home Friday and left again Sunday morning. In between soccer games, I think we got to say "hi" to each other in passing. Last week, while he was away, I stayed up late one night and sewed this little outfit for Sawyer. I would have kept sewing except I kept hearing noises. Spooky noises. Our house is 130+ years old. I wouldn't say it's haunted, but I wouldn't say it's not either. I hear strange noises and strange, unexplained things have happened in this house. (Should I dare mention that Joe's great-uncle, Claud, died in our house? In my bed room. Christmas Day. Before we owned it.) Anyway, while sewing late one night last week, I heard a noise that sounded like one of the bedroom doors opening. I paused. And listened. I didn't hear anyone. So I went upstairs to investigate. Everyone was still sleeping. I blamed it on my "squeaking" chair and kept sewing. Shortly thereafter, I heard a car door outsid...

I did deserve that moment. Thankyouverymuch . Some weeks while Joe is away, everything is fine. Other weeks are ones I wish to never repeat . And then there are weeks like this one: a mixture of both. Seriously. No matter how hard I try, I could not make up the stuff that happens to me in a day. Wednesday was one of those days. The days when I was being thrown curve balls every which way I turned. Spenser and Sawyer have not been sleeping well. Usually they both sleep all night long. This week, they are not. When I woke up in the middle of the night, my back hurt so bad I thought I was going to be stuck in bed all day. It eventually felt better, but it was a rough start. Spenser also started with a croupy cough in the middle of the night. I eventually dragged her into bed with me (the best I could with my sore back). Spenser and the big clunky pink cast , which is not a fun bed partner. Because of my back pain, I wasn't moving quick enough to get a shower before the boys left for...

It was getting cooler outside. Now it's back to being warm again. During the few days it was cool, I worried about my little Spenser. I know it's cold to wear skirts all the time. I vividly remember wearing skirts every day last fall (after Sawyer was born) because they were the only things I liked that fit. Yesterday I found her trying to put on some leggings. She got them up her good leg and then asked for help pulling them over her cast. Poor girl. I had to explain they don't fit right now and she obediently put on a skirt. Since she can't wear tights with her giant pink leg, I decided she needed some pants. Even if just a few. I introduce to you the "cast pants." One leg is completely normal. The other side is shorter (knee area) and it has Velcro on the side for easy on and easy off action. The top is cinched together with a tie. Amazingly enough, the night she actually broke her leg, I "saw" her in a big pink cast. That night, as I tried to sl...

I've been quite happy with the change of weather that autumn has brought. However, it happened so quickly that it has also brought some panic: baby doesn't have enough fall outfits . Fear no more, Lera. On Saturday morning I sewed the outfit on the left. The pants are dark denim with some Japanese fabric pockets. They seem very comfy for being denim. Sunday night (after the children were in bed, Joe left for New York City Sunday afternoon and I can't sleep at night again) I sewed the outfit on the left. The pants are a pale tan corduroy with Japanese fabric appliques. With each outfit that I make, I think I love each one more and more. But then it hit me, I just love that baby more and more. It doesn't matter what he wears. (I hope you aren't sick of his outfits yet ... Last night after the kids were in bed, I cut out five more pairs of pants for Sawyer. That will make nine. I think I can stop after that. And, yes , baby is laying on the yucky cafeteria floo...

Yesterday was another good mail day. When I picked up the mail at the post office, there was another package awaiting me. Karyn sent this wonderful package. One of her button pendants (in a cute tin), a mini card wallet, some of her awesome Gocco note cards (with great blue envelopes), some Japanese Thumbelina fabric and a necklace (from her sister's etsy shop). Thank you, Karyn. I really love it all. In fact, I took off the necklace I was wearing yesterday and wore the red one for the rest of the day. I'm not brave enough to cut into the fabric yet, but maybe soon. And then last night my friend, Sandy, stopped by with these cute pink ballet slippers. Aren't they cute? The ribbons are velvety and soft. So sweet. I should also mention that last week I received a casserole and some cookies from my friend, Amy, who wanted to give me a break on cooking dinner. It was very appreciated and completely gobbled up. I think I shared exactly 1 1/2 cookies with my family. Seri...

On Friday afternoon, I got a package in the mail. Happy mail day! Beki had sent me one of her beautiful handmade bags for my birthday . It's big and roomy (gotta love that) and perfectly sewn. I love the fabric. Joe even loves the fabric. And there's a hint of rickrack peeking through. Such fine details. And if that weren't enough, she also sent: some fabric, a vintage pillowcase, some chocolate-covered cinnamon Altoids (love!) and some yo-yo's. Two of the yo-yo's are of the sweetest Christmasy fabric: poinsettias. Thank you, Beki. I love it all! On Friday afternoon, Carter had his cardiology followup. He has a bicuspid aortic valve and a moderately enlarged aorta. Currently he doesn't need any treatment for his condition, he is just monitored every few years. He used to have to take an antibiotic before dental work, but they've eliminated that. We are very fortunate that his pediatric cardiologist is a Hopkins doctor who comes to our part of Maryla...

Our garden was a flop this year. The severe lack of rain killed almost every plant we had. Carter and Jackson have been checking the garden for the past few weeks. They've picked some cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, banana peppers, and this little guy. It's an eggplant. The boys thought it was supposed to be the size of an egg, so they picked it. It's barely larger than a chestnut and it quite resembles one. A zippered pouch. I sewed this the other night. I am still using my old manual sewing machine (don't ask about my replacement sewing machine ). It's awful. I really don't know how I ever learned to sew on that thing. Having to figure out tension ( over and over and over and over again) and rethreading the needle and bobbin about every 3 minutes can make a girl nuts. Seriously . As I was sewing the last few stitches, it occurred to me that the zipper might open backwards. And it does. It opens from right to left. Not left to right. (Is there a difference? How ...

Thank you for all of your birthday wishes yesterday. It was nice to read all of your comments. Especially because I thought Joe had forgotten about me. (Although we did go out for lunch yesterday.) We celebrated with cheesecake. Mmmm. A Cheers shirt (from Joe's trip to Boston last week). Free vintage patterns from the Swap Shop. One is dated 1961. (Most of the others aren't dated, at least on the outside package.) They are size 2 girls. I hope Spenser is still small enough! A funny 1970 maternity pattern. I didn't realize it was maternity at the time. And I wouldn't wear them even if they weren't maternity. I just couldn't leave it there by itself unappreciated. And a pattern advertisement. Can you read the How to be the prettiest girl in town this month ? Look at her pigtails! There are some funny pictures in there. Our power is about to be cut off. Don't worry. It's not because Joe didn't pay the bill. Joe took off this week to do so...

Has it been a year already? Can I really be 38? Man, time flies when you get old! For my birthday, I decided to make another list of things you might not know about me. I hope I don't bore you too much. Here goes: 1. It snowed on my 10th birthday. 2. School let out early that day. 3. I got a sewing box for my birthday (for cross stitching). 4. I am related to Amelia Earhart (father’s side). 5. I am related to Princess Diana (mother’s side). Seriously . Can’t you see the resemblance? Not serious. 6. If someone would have told me 25 years ago I was going to marry Joe, I would have laughed hysterically. 7. I don’t like it when things stick to my feet. 8. I love to glide across my clean kitchen floor. 9. People say I laugh like my mother. 10. When I was younger, I might have been insulted. 11. Now that I’m a mother, I think it is a compliment. 12. People have said the same thing about the way I talk. 13. The other night Joe said I looked like my mother. 14. I don’t see a resemblance. 1...

Last night, after the kiddos were in bed, I sewed. It seems the only time I can sew is during consecutive nap times (which are rare), at night when they are in bed, or when Joe is home and keeping the children occupied. With Spenser's broken leg, she really has to wear skirts or dresses. She has a few casual skirts (without built-in panties) and dresses, but she seems to go through her stash pretty quickly. And, really, what girl doesn't need more skirts? I'm not going to deny her that. The inspiration of these skirts came from the same book as yesterday's dress . The first one is in Strawberry Shortcake fabric. This girl loves "Shortcake," as she calls her. I Spenser found this fabric on clearance a few months back. That girl can spot Shortcake a mile away. The second skirt is from my stash of Alexander Henry's Apples + Pears. I like this one the best. These skirts whipped up very quickly. Like 30 minutes each.

We had a nice weekend. The boys had a three-day weekend from school. Joe came home late Friday afternoon. Jack and Mason went to a birthday pool party (in October! ). The boys had soccer games. Spenser's whole disposition changed when Joe walked in the door. (She hammed it up for her daddy.) She decided it was high time to start walking. And climbing. And everything else that has slowed her down since Monday night . She's scaled the baby gates numerous times. We caught her climbing the steps trying to play with her brothers. I'm very happy for her, but I think lugging her cast around has made her completely exhausted. She fell asleep at 6:30 last night and only woke up when we took her to the bathroom and put her in bed. I'm so worried she's going to hurt herself again. I did get a little sewing time in on Saturday, between soccer games. I sewed this little dress from linen, hence why it is so darn wrinkly. This is the inspiration piece: From this book. It...

Isn't she pretty in pink? Turns out, Spenser's leg i s fractured . ( I knew it! A mother knows! ... "Have her walk on it!" Ha!!!! ) Her leg has a buckle fracture below the knee. Ouch. She has to wear the cast for three weeks. She has asked me to take it off three times. She's doing well with her cast. Still not walking. Still being waited on hand and foot. Wearing me out. I am sore in places I didn't know I had. Joe comes home today from spending the week in Massachusetts. She can't wait to show her daddy her new pink leg.

Yesterday I said some words to Joe that caused some concern. I said, "I gotta go. Kristina's here." I could hear the hesitation in his voice. You see, Kristina is my hair stylist. The best one I've ever had. So why is Joe nervous? Joe is fearful because he likes long hair on me. I like short or medium-length hair on me. Unfortunately for Joe, he doesn't have much say in it. This is just to reassure him that I kept 3/4 of my hair on my head . It's not so bad. Is it? (Just one of the great things about Kristina is that she either comes to my house or I go to hers. How great is that?!? My favorite stylist that is portable.)

... that I was the one relaxing in the tub. (Today started out rough again. I will spare you the details, but will say that a certain eight-year-old was walking to the bus stop in tears and his mama was almost in tears. Let's just hope that when he opens his lunch and sees his sandwich on hotdog buns, it will cheer him up. I ran out of bread this morning.) Although Spenser's leg still hurts and she won't put any weight on it, her spirits are lifting. She took one step last night and cried. She has not taken another one since. The doctor told me to encourage her to walk. And I do. I'm just not successful. She sits on her throne (the sofa) all day. Surrounded by comfy pillows and blankets. She eats her meals at her throne. She watches TV and plays Pixter and reads books. Why would she want to leave? (Other than the fact that she is normally a very active two-almost-three-year-old girl.) Her appointment with the orthopedic is Thursday at 2:15 p.m. Maybe we'll find o...

She had x-rays and ... ... it is not fractured . Thank goodness. She still won't put any weight on her leg and her leg is still swollen, so our doctor wants her to see an orthopedic specialist for a second opinion this week. They are going to set up the appointment and call me later today. She has been pitiful and sad all day. Poor thing. I almost had a meltdown in the bathroom of the radiology place. I had Spenser in the stroller and I was carrying Sawyer. Spenser had to go to the bathroom so I had to get her out of the stroller, without putting her down and put Sawyer in the stroller without putting him down. ( Kids in public bathrooms freak me out.) I did that and then had to manage putting toilet paper on the seat and getting her undies down, one-handed, while trying to hold her and not to jostle Spenser and her leg. She cried the entire time. Sawyer was crying because he went from my arms to a stroller and he wasn't very happy about that transition. I really needed ...

Yesterday afternoon, I was given a much needed break. After I put Sawyer down for a nap, Spenser dozed off on the sofa. Perfect! Feeling the need for some "sewing therapy," I finished Sawyer's corduroy pants I started before my sewing machine died . Even though I used my old, noisy , basic machine, it was the perfect time alone that I needed. I used My Folklore by Lecien for the appliques on the shirt and little patches around the knee area. I'm hoping they don't look too girly with the flowers. Yesterday seemed to be going well after my horrible morning. And, after my sewing break, everything seemed back to normal. Until last night after dinner. The children went outside to jump on the trampoline, while I cleaned up the kitchen. A few minutes later one of the boys brought Spenser back into the house saying the someone had accidentally jumped on her. It's a little swollen. I've put ice on it and given her Tylenol. She has not walked since. She won't p...

You know it’s going to be a bad day when … … you are awakened in the middle of the night by a little girl (who peed her bed) as she’s crawling in bed with you. Still wet. … you wake up to day nine of your menstrual cycle. Although I shouldn't complain, it’s the first one in nearly two years. And it’s gotta end soon. Right? … you try to jump in the shower real quick only to realize there’s low water pressure and no hot water. … after your shower you realize the downstairs bathroom toilet has been running continually since the last person flushed. After several attempts (and some bad words), you finally get the seal sealed properly. … as you run into the bathroom, to fix the toilet, you find your son crying holding his bloody wrist. You clean the wound and dress it. … and then your older sons show you this: And it's only 8:00 a.m. (And Joe also left in the middle of the night to catch an early-morning flight for work. He's gone all week.) I was going to run errands tod...