Summer Recap Volume 2: The Fair

Oh my, just looking at these photos make me wish I could rewind... replay. This was another magical time for us. My sister in law, Jaysi, and her 2 boys came to stay for a full week. We were on the run trying to pack in memories and adventures. This was tops in my book.

Our little town hosts a fair every summer. It is small and manageable and so much fun for all!

There are rides for the little kiddos and rides for the big one. Imagine having a fair that is full of all of your middle school buddies. Meeting that girl you have had your eye on and riding the ferris wheel with her. Not that my big boy would share all of that with me but I can only imagine what those long days at the fair involved.

That is what the magical memories of childhood are made of. Riding your first roller coaster with your best cousin by your side.


And remote control car races. Come on....doesn't get any better!

Summer Recap Volume 1: The Beach

School starts tomorrow. I am not ready...at all. Jack is off to a brand new school, same district but the new middle school has been completed. I am so excited for him. I am hoping that all the hard work he did last year will continue. Fall baseball begins tonight. Nothing like jumping in with both feet!

Sammy is off the kindergarten tomorrow. I can't even discuss that. I am NOT ready. He is more than ready but his poor mommy can't handle these kids growing up so fast. My girl friend pointed out why this is so hard for me yesterday. I am terrified to start this school ball rolling because it is a slippery slope. You send them off to kindergarten and when you turn around, they are teenagers. I know everyone says that but it really is true (*sniff, sniff*).

Before we can jump into the present, I have to recap the summer. It was magical and wonderous. We had adventure after adventure. Our week in Michigan was definitely a highlight!

My littles are growing up a mile a minute. They jumped on the jetski and didn't want to get off.

I even convinced my my mother in law to go for a ride. The real ride came when she finally relented and let her son drive her. It was a blast!!

Grandpa and girlies.

This is what hard work at the beach looks like. Our men were quite proud.

Babies in the sand...doens't get any better in my opinion!

This was my preferred way to spend the day. I was even brought a frosty adult beverage a few times. Perfection.

Anyone who has spent summertime in Michigan knows that ice cream on a near daily basis is a must. Diet? What diet?

Boys.

Girls.

BLISS!

Bridal Crafting

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white. This past weekend I hosted a small bridal shower for our dear Aunt Shelly.

Her wedding is in less than 2 weeks now. Brian and I will be heading to Colorado Springs so that I can stand next to her as her matron of honor and celebrate this joyous occasion.

The little shower included 4 flower arrangements for the table and for the guests to take home with them.

I made these candy wrapper sachets (pattern from One Skein) for the favor. Actually, my lovely friend, Heather, made 2 and I made 2. Thank heaven for good friends! Jo Ann had cute heart charms in the bridal department. I thought that they would bring a touch of love to the mood of the party.

Jacky-boy so graciously modeled the arpon I made for Aunt Shelly. This went along with the Anthropologie measuring cups and spoons.

I have photos of the actual shower that I will post soon. Happy Monday!

Missing You!

My poor little blog, I am sorry for the neglect. Life is so very busy and finding time to nurture and grow you is escaping me. I have so much to share that I could burst. Soon...I hope. I will leave you with this new summertime favorite just so you don't forget about me.

Completed Armwarmers and a Gift for Baby

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I adore small knitting and crochet projects. Knitting is very time consuming and given my short attention span and limited crafting time, small = ideal.

Here are the completed armwarmers I made using the lovely yarn I posted about earlier. The color is wonderful and bright and these puppies are super soft and cozy. Not sure if I will gift these or if I must simply keep them for myself. Regardless, this pattern will be used again for sure!
Pattern: Irish Hiking Scarf Armwarmers (free on Ravelry)
Yarn: Hand-dyed wool from farmers market.


Here is my current project. A new baby boy has been born and he must have a crochet blanket, right? I will be working on some other things for him as well.

Life has been crazy. I have been with my kids 24/7 for the last 2 weeks with no time to shop and very little time to craft. Hopefully that will change very soon!

A Perfect Summer Day

What a beautiful week it has been! We went swimming at a friend's pool, played with friends at the splash park and visited Great Grammy and Grandad Barrett. The week ended like this.

The day started with lots of finger painting.

And from lunchtime to dinnertime, we did this.

I convinced Daddy that having entertainment in the backyard would be ideal for everyone. You see, we don't have a public pool in our little town and keeping these busy kids entertained in the heat is quite a job some days.

This was a good decision if you ask me.

A Scrumptious Knit and Yummy Yarn with Cables

Last weekend I got to spend an evening with my, oh so fabulous, sister. Not only is she the best friend a girl could ask for, she is a fashion guru and works for an amazing company that has many high fashion shops throughout the country. About twice a year, the stores have mega sales. When I say mega, I mean "Holy Cow this can't be for real" MEGA. My sweet sister thinks of me at these times and always hooks me up. Last weekend we popped into one of the stores to pick up this beauty.

This is a Stella McCartney knit. It is soft and delicious. I have already worn it multiple times. I will tell you that this sweater was originally $1100.00 (yes, I did mean to add all of those zeros). Lovely as it is, in my opinion there is no article of clothing worth that. I didn't even spend 15% of that amount. Linds, thanks for hookin' a sista up!!

As if that incredible score wasn't enough, she bough me this glorious skein of hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn from her local farmers market. The color is a happy color, you know, the kind that makes you smile when you look at it. I couldn't wait to get it on the needles. I was so inspired by this yarn that I decided to give cabling a go. I LOVE it! Can't wait until these little fingerless gloves are finished. Maybe I'll even start my Christmas crafting in July...now that would be something!