pumpkin patch

yeah, i know, we did this a month ago.

that's how big a priority this blog is.

spencer couldn't get enough of the chickens.

incidentally, the word he is "working on" now is bird.

or as he says in a bambi-esque way, "bur".

i think it's officially his first word.

hauling pumpkins - no, boys. open you eyes, spence.

fun in the corn pit.

spence checking out the livestock. (note the adorable

vintage health-tex overalls my mom scored at a garage sale. riles wore them too)

the fruits of our labor. lovely.

alterations

would you ever have thought

that this shirt had a former life?

and as a clearance bargain in the kmart plus-size

department, no less.

i got a new blouse with scraps left over, to boot.

SEPTEMBER CRAFTING

...was all birthday related. finally got around to making a birthday pennant of fabric, something that's been on "the list" for a long time.

no, i did not make the fun bowling pin set.

someone working for a toy company in france did.

the birthday crown i labored over which the birthday boy decided not to wear.

i saw this idea at babies-r-us, but of course the bib did not feature kaffe fassett fabric,

so i had to take matters into my own hands.

fun fabric ball.

he's 1!

not so sure.....

...very sure.

no, this isn't spence. this is mr. riles on his first b'day. that mower was one of his gifts.

below, spencer enjoys the same mower and the same outfit. kinda nice having 2 boys in a row!

SOME CRAFTING

there has also been time for some crafting over the summer. above is the "barcelona skirt", an amy butler pattern. i really liked sewing it; it has a fun layered/raw edge detail which is not really evident in this pic.
this is the "thrifty knitted creature" from the thrifty knitter blog (also on ravelry).

herman looked at this and said something like "you spent time on that? seems kind of pointless." in a very nice way. but isn't that the point of something like this? i thought so, anyway.

JUNK --> TREASURE

found on someone's driveway in the "salvation army" pile post-garage-sale.

it's ok to take that stuff, right?

transformed with the help of: murphy's oil soap, orange glo, steel wool, and kaffe.

WET

last week, we got wet at the beach. so excited to go, because it had almost been a year.

also, we've gotten wet a few times at a local river park...one of our new favorite places to be.

ABOUT FOOD (MOSTLY)

A trip to the library yielded this book about cherries

growing on a tree eventually ending up in a pie...

after we read it riley said, "we should make a cherry pie" .

...so we did. my first, and i think it turned out pretty good, if i do say so myself.

also, we decided cherry pie is better w/o ice cream, unlike apple pie.

below: technicolor breakfast.

unrelated: guess who likes my ipod.

WATER

riley's first swimming lessons...great fun

spencer's first slip-n-slide experience -

or, as riley refers to it, the "slipping slide".

happy birthday, grandpa B! here's that video of riley explaining the picture he drew for you, the one we included in your card. he's pretty into drawing these days. is that the grandma B gene coming through??

A brand new bag...

Been wanting to use this fabric in some cool project for, oh, i don't know, about 2 years now.

It finally became this "swing bag", an Amy Butler pattern.

An apple a day is supposed to keep the doctor away,

but we all have colds right now. Go figure.

the best seats in the house...

...are my newly-refurbished pint-sized chairs I got ages ago at some garage sale.

I hope the clear plastic keeps that totally rad Kaffe fabric looking nice for a long time.

Back in May.....

springtime in the mountains::

can you spot the ladybugs? there were hundreds. they must have just hatched.

just thinkin'

wild yellow irises (plus riles & i)

this idyllic mountain pond is in twain harte, ca.

we've never visited in the springtime before - lovely.

Summer in our yard, so far::

(Spencer, in case you're reading this: sorry, you just haven't been outside as much lately. More pics of you later.)

OK, long post of random stuff:

FINALLY finished this quilt. I've been collecting the solid fabrics for this quilt since about 2002. Yes, 2002. They're Kaffe Fassett's "shot cotton" solids. The pattern is his too, "Birdboxes". I'm really pleased with how it came out. I'll include a bigger shot of it in a future post.

I've been bit by the embroidering bug. Spencer got a couple new onesies, and Riley got a hat (below). I'm also working on a tee for Riley. Besides, what else can you really sew for boys?

Some "art" for the sewing room, inspired by an anthropologie display a few years (ok, like 5 or 6 years)back.

Loving:: this fun lady my mom scored at a garage sale! The lady she bought it from had a whole story of how her husband won this gal while he was in WWII, playing cards. Too cool - a great piece with a story. Love it.

"I'm Bob the Builder, Mom!"

(Helping Dad build our new fence)

Spencer's new pants, above. Inspired by a ready-made pair, below.
The best part: Spencer's were free, made from fabric someone had "donated" in support of my habit. However, Herman asked me, "Why did you make him purple striped pants? You don't like purple?" (He's right, I don't). But they're not! A periwinkle-ish royal blue, maybe. but not purple.

Finally done (Yeah, just in time for the 100 degree weather)!I was starting to get sick of this project, but I'm really pleased with the end result. Riley has informed me many times that he really likes "the favorite color", the gold stripe.