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WONDERFULLY CRAZY

A space where family, friends and anyone else can follow our adventures. We are a homeschooling, crafting, music-making, back-flipping wonderfully crazy family living on the coast of Maine enjoying everything life has to offer us!

Monday, April 30, 2012

Weekending

Another work weekend for me.  I've talked about it before. I spend 3 days in a row doing 12 hour shifts helping mothers become mothers.  This past weekend we were busy and I was exhausted by the end, but I love it!  If I didn't have this darling family to come home to I would spend much more time at this job of mine than I do, I love it that much!  Childbirth is so amazing, intimate, profound and breathtaking...sometimes I can't get enough.  But I do have this sweet family of mine, I did become a mother and this is where I'd rather be always...with them, loving them and holding them close.  So after this long weekend of work, sleep, work,  rushing to a baseball game, sleep and back to work I came home yesterday to a backyard full of my family AND my favorite friends...












No matter how tired I am I can't think of a better way to celebrate the ending of a very long weekend.   There was great food, a bonfire, great conversation, some planning of house projects (getting a few of these guys together this is inevitable), lots of games, running, giggling, swinging and general merriment into the night.  Pure bliss and I have no doubt that everyone slept well last night!  How was your weekend?

Linking with Amanda today

Friday, April 27, 2012

This Moment

Joining Soulemama for {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
 Enjoy the weekend!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Kids Clothing Week Challenge

So I've been so excited about Elsie Marleys KCWC !  The goal in case you don't know is to spend an hour a day working on kids clothing projects.  Well, I had plans to have something done every day...we all know how that goes!  Anyhoo, I have spent at least an hour a day and some days a bit more.   There is a top for Molly not ready to be photographed as we had a mishap with shirring (still learning that one).  But I did get a sweet pair of pants done for the boy!


I got a bit excited on the "room to grow" part, but he loves them.  The fabric is a linen/cotton blend that I've had for a while now, super soft-pefect for summer weather. 
These awesome guitar pockets are made from Heather Ross Far Far Away III, Goes perfectly with this brown!  I had to laugh as I was reading through some of my favorite blogs this morning and saw Melanie's recent post, similar ideas with the boy pants!  The pattern for these is something I've been playing with, I've made pj pants using it, but like I said  He's not growing quite as fast as I sewed for.  Oh well.


I also made this popover apron from The Children's Year for that sweet little niece of mine.  I love this thing and wish I had 10 of them when Miss Molly was a baby.  I think I'll need to make her another pair of bloomers to match in this fun Oz fabric.
Well that's it, I'm off to "school" and then more sewing!  Be sure to check out flickr group for lots of fun projects.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Around the Sun

Last week I celebrated yet another year around the sun.  Funny how sometimes I don't feel any different than I did 20 years ago, and yet so much has happened.  I have become so much...a wife, a mother, a teacher, a friend, a nurse...I could go on but you get the idea.  I didn't really have any plans of making a big deal out of my birthday this year, it's not a special year; 42 that's it.
However I was completely taken back by what a big deal the kiddos were making about it.  Molly made me Birthday tree a week earlier!
How stinkin' sweet is this?  Right by the front door, I'm assuming the plan was anyone who came through the front door could of course drop off presents.  Every time I walked by this little display I smiled.  Of course reminding the kids that gifts are not what is important, but they were so proud of their ideas.  Molly had been saving a lovely birds nest for me and Corey got to work one night in the craffice (no mom aloud in with the sewing machine on...)and presented me with this lovely pillow.
The actual day of my birthday was perfect.  The sun was warm, we spent most of the day with some of our favorite friends at the beach, running, playing and breathing in the air of warm weather.




There were treats of yarn, gardening supplies, a fantastic cookbook and tickets to see my one of my all time favorite bands Wilco (insert giddy squeal here) We've been going to see this band together with my brother and his wife for about 9 or 10 years now!  It is always new and exciting and is something I have come to truly look forward to.  This year the kiddos get to come (they've only seen them a couple times) and as an added bonus the show is in Vermont which means friends and family that we don't see nearly enough!
OK, I could go on for way to long about this exciting trip so I'll just finish here...
 We finished off the day with a super yummy gluten free, dairy free cake complete with singing and candles.
I feel so truly blessed with this family and all the friends we have. 

Friday, April 20, 2012

This Moment

As always, joining Soulemama for {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Fat Quarter Fashion

I've had this idea brewing in my head for a while now and I've finally created a tutorial for this supper fun summer top!  All you need are two fat quarters (4 if you want to line it or make it reversible), some coordinating thread and a bit of bias tape.
I made this to fit an 11 and  12 year old girls, however the size is pretty darned adjustable without changing a thing it would fit someone smaller or even larger (though I suspect if you are more than 5' 2" it would be a bit of a belly shirt.

First trim the fat quarters up to match at 17x20
next fold them both in half on the short side (it should measure 10" x 17".  Place on your cutting mat and using a ruler make a diagonal line 5" from the fold on the top and 6" down the open side.  cut using a rotary cutter.
Do the same with your liner and that's it...all your cutting is done!
**At this point if you find sea creatures suddenly creeping onto your work surface...just ignore them, they usually get bored and move on...(with the son who brought them).

Next I like to serge around all the raw edges with my fancy smancy serger (really all I've mastered on the thing) but I bought it from a lovely little Russian woman who assured me I could sew clothes for my whole family!  Of course if you don't have a serger you can zigzag your raw edges as well.
Now sew your two side edges together for liner and outside fabric, your pieces should look like this:
With right sides facing sew along this 11" side and press seams open.
Now turn your outside print right side out and place it inside the liner (right sides should be facing).
Sew the two pieces together around the bottom hem  I use about a 1/4" but you can do more or less if you like. Now turn your piece right side out and press bottom hem and then do a nice top stitch.
The rest You may want to pin as you work, I am a bit willy-nilly and tend to not waste time with pinning.  Just remember that if you want this to be reversible you need to have all seems on the inside of the two layers.
Starting about 1 1/2" down from the top turn your arm sections to the inside about 1/4" and pin all the way around to 1 1/2" from the top of the other side.  IF you aren't pinning like me than you can sort of fold as you stitch (like me), it looks something like this:
 And something like this when you are done.  See the nice opening at the top?
Do the same thing along the top folding under a scant 1/4" and top stitch, then without folding sew another line just about the arm stitch all the way across (I just used my top stitching as a guide to keep strait).
Do this for both the front and the back and you end up with a a nice little pocket for your ties (bias tape).
Next, cut your bias tape into 2 long pieces, mine measured 38" and I left them long as the girls liked the ties hanging on their shoulders. Sew a strait line down the side of the bias tape to keep it all neat and together.  Of course you could make ties just as easily from coordinating fabric, I just thought the bias tape was quicker and easier (and readily available in my sewing box).  Here I just stuck with the same thread and enjoyed the contrast, if you prefer you could match your colors accordingly.
Finally thread your ties through with a safety pin or other fancy tool of your choice and enjoy!

Hope you enjoy and please let me know if you make one of these!  I'd love to see it.

Monday, April 16, 2012

On the Weekend

It feels like we have officially turned the corner to spring around here and I must say I am beyond thrilled.  We had a tease a few weeks ago with some really warm weather then it got cold again (classic Maine).  It's been slowly warming up, but ahhhhh this weekend I felt it and I could smell it in the air.
I'm loving this forsythia as I always do in the spring, though after blooming this year it's got to be cut back and moved.  Planting between the porch and the garden path we built a few years ago seemed like a perfect idea at the time.  However as my wili-nili gardening self has learned, it's just too darned big.


 Saturday Molly and I went out with my mom and aunt for a very special lunch and mani-pedi just to celebrate that we are women, something we really need to do more!
I'm looking forward to planting in and around this wall we built last year to really make it feel like home.
Of course there was baseball practice, so yard work, general house cleaning, Molly had a sleepover with one of her best girl friends (it's April vacation for them) and yesterday I went to work and helped once again with that amazing process of birthing (I do love it so).

Looking forward to another gorgeous day around here, perhaps a trip to the beach is in order...
How was your weekend?

linking with the lovely Amanda today.

Friday, April 13, 2012

This Moment

Joining Soulemama for
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Some New Spring Clothes

It seems that these growing children are always in need of some new clothes, so yesterday was the official start of "spring sewing".

I don't know about you but I am in LOVE with this dress!  It's the Anna tunic by Amy Butler.  Such a fun pattern with sizes for me AND Miss Molly (with a bit of tweaking she can do the adult xs)!  There are lengths for a cami, tunic, mini dress (on Mol) and a longer knee length dress.  It hangs so wonderfully and has a really pretty line!  The fabric is Dew Drops from Tula Pink's prince charming.  Molly picked out this fabric a while ago and we've been waiting to make something fun.  Well I think we succeeded.
We also made the Chloe strapless dress from Sew What You Love.  This book has been a great find for both of us.  I've made a few things already.


This dress is one that she has been so excited to make ever since we got the book!  I've been a bit more hesitant because it involved shirring the back with elastic thread!  Let me just say that threading the bobbin was a bit of a hassle, but once I got going it was fun and not scary at all!
Not the best picture, but you get the idea right?  Anyway yet another pattern using the adult xs for the tween in my life.  She's got good taste.  The plan for this dress in pink polka dots is the wear to both the gymnastics awards night next month and a trip to the ballet in DC with a very special grandma.

Lastly Molly was also wanting to try her hand at a project for herself, something she has yet to do.  Usually it's doll clothing, draw string bags and the such.  So being adventurous she opted to try the every day knit tunic from the same book.


My favorite part of this project (besides the fact that she made it herself) is that we used an old jersey sheet I'd had stashed away!  It's quite a simple pattern and I really must have one for myself at this point.  There are many more projects on our to-do list for both Molly and Corey (he gets some linen pants a few simple shorts), we'll be sure and keep you posted as we create.  Right now I'm being pestered by a certain girl to get going on a tank top from fat quarters we've been discussing...who knows maybe a tutorial is in our future.