Jacket Refashion

A couple of years ago I coached for a team that I'm no longer working with, but we coaches had purchased these nice warm fleece jackets with the team's name on them. I've discovered that this jacket is one of the only ones I have that stretches around my growing belly, but I don't want to advertise for this team anymore.

So.... I used this tutorial to fix up my jacket with a pretty ranunculus. I can't wait to try more of these on other things. I think it's pretty cute!

Here is a before shot of the jacket. I followed the tutorial's instructions and just stitched right to the jacket.

RAIN!

Crafty By Nature has been canceled for today, but I'll be there next month.



I will be adding some things to my shop over the next few days. I also have lots of ideas to work on that I just didn't have time to get to for today's show.

So today I'm enjoying an unexpected day with nothing scheduled. We've made plans to see some friends and their new baby this evening, and until then I'm relaxing with coffee and a few books while Daddy entertains Ava.

"Uh-oh Ava Diaper"

This morning I heard on the monitor: "Uh-oh Ava diaper, uh-oh Ava diaper" over and over. A few seconds later I heard "Jammies wash." Sure enough, when I went in to get Ava, her jammies were off, the diaper was on the floor, and she was in her crib playing happily and nakedly with her toys.

February

Snuggling on the couch

Resting amidst the mess

Reading

"Helping" mama sew

Valentines

(Edited to add:: Sarah asked if that is Amy Butler on my sleeve in the first picture... Yep! It's one of my many Simplicity 3835 shirts.)

Welcome, Fall

It's beginning to feel a little like fall here in Waldeck. We're starting to need an extra blanket on the bed at night, I've had to put on socks, and there is that fall smell you can catch a whiff of once in a while. The trees are still green and you can still pick a few things out of the garden, but I have seen a few leaves on the ground out back. Fall's right around the corner.

When I went to college in North Carolina, the highlight of field hockey season was the trip we made to PA the beginning of each October. I loved coming home right in the middle of fall. No one does fall like Central Pennsylvania, I think.

Some things I love about Fall::

*Fair season
*Pumpkins and mums
*Longer runs in the woods with Hank
*Cider
*Coffee all day long
*Needing a sweater


And because I have no photos of what's happening so far this fall, here's one of me and my hubby taken two Octobers ago. See how others are celebrating fall at Polka Dot Cottage.

Having a 9-Month-Old is Hard Work! (And we also had a snapping turtle in our yard)

Ava and I have been home alone together a lot lately, as Mr. Bird's second summer job is in full swing. This kiddo is so, so busy. All. The. Time. She is still only when she's sleeping. If something is within her reach, she explores it. Every day she finds something new that I have to put up, secure, hide, etc. We're having a lot of fun, though. She is learning some signs (her favorite and most frequently used is the sign for "milk") and even says a few words: buh (bye), mama, and muh (more). And on a completely unrelated note, look at the big, ugly creature that Hank found in our yard the other morning:

This huge snapping turtle was laying eggs in a muddy spot by our creek. I assume that's what she was doing, anyway.