Pegasus

Soccer season has begun!!

Monday Music

Louie Louie

Long story short..we have another cat!! Welcome..Louis Demos. A sweet little kitten..who literally jumped into our car this weekend at Jack's soccer game! Frisky would be an understatement. I still can't believe we have another cat. The vet says he's healthy & is a purring machine. He was purring so loud, he couldnt hear his heartbeat. It was so funny..he let Jack listen with his stethoscope & he laughed so hard at the motor he heard!!

Maddie is beyong estatic about a new playmate! Moo & Sally are in instant Mom & Dad mode & arent sure what to think about such a young frisky kitty in the house. Jemma is totally cool with her & isnt sure what to make of a cat chasing her instead of her chasing them:)

And She's Off...

Just like that, Kindergarten came! Ms. Bev pulled up on the big yellow bus & John & I stood watching our big five year old climb the steps to her first official bus ride. I'm feeling sentimental today knowing school starts a "brand new day" for Ms. Maddie, but I'm also excited for her.

On & Off the Needles

Mad's new knitted pig/cat (we're not sure) hat..she picked the buttons for the face. Orginially the pattern was for a "kat hat" but as pink was the chosen color & after the ears were done, this "kat cat" looks alot like a pig wig..maybe:)
& Jemma's purple sweater...this was a last attempt to salvage a top I knitted Maddie during the winter. With a few alterations, Jemma has her first official handmade gift from mama:)

Jack & Jemma

Jemma has melted right into our family. She's like the second child, when you can't remember life without them.

The other day, Maddie found a picture of Bond I had framed a long time ago. He looked like he was smiling. We showed it to Jemma & told her that was her brother that we wished she could've known. Bond was so much mine & John's dog, that I see now Jemma is becoming the kids dog. She loves sleeping with them & just paling around. Jack has started taking her for short walks by himself; which they both love.

Bond's playfulness that I see in Jemma now is something the kids weren't around for or were just too little to remember. So it's fun to see them build a relationship with sweet Jemma. They have asked me how old they will be when she's 15, since Bond lived about that long. Oh, let's just not go there, I think, starting another school year & being reminded of how fast life passes is hard enough. So yesterday, Jemma posed with Jack for the "first day shot." She doesn't like it when we leave or when one of the pack is missing, so I let her walk with us to pick him up. She was so excited to have him home again. & so was I. He had a great first day & the highlight so far of 3rd grade is lunch & getting to sit with old friends. Too bad Jemma couldn't come:)

Monday Music & Jack's first day of 3rd grade!!

I love this video & song:)
Today was Jack's first morning of 3rd grade. I'm excited for him & can hardly wait to hear about his day. More on that later this week:)

Dusting off the sewing machine..

I pulled the "Hello Kitty" out today so Jack & I could play. The Hello Kitty I'm referring to is the "Janome" -sewing machine Yaya & Poppy gave Jack. It's become an easy machine for me..really simple to use. Today I wanted to make him a pair of shorts & see if I could remember my pajama bottom pattern from last fall. I used the same pattern as the pj pants, just made into shorter versions. It's cool that you can make them any length you want. He wanted them just above the knee & I had the black denim he likes. I thought about trying a cuff on the leg, but didn't venture that far today. They are on the big side, but he likes them & they look comfty.

Jack wanted to make something simple & we came up with him going through fabrics picking two different colors/patterns & making simple place mats. Basically, just sewing like-sides together & leaving a hole to turn inside out & then sewing a side seam all the way around. He loved it. The hardest part was cutting the fabric with my very dull wheel. Take a look! He is very proud.

Maddie luckily was having fun with her little pets & our new little corner downstairs. We moved her giant dollhouse down so she can have them all together. She & Jack found some cotton on display at Kroger today & brought it home to make their little pet's a pillow:0

My first sweater..for myself & new projects await!

I'm excited about my new fall sweater that I have started knitting. It's the "Madeline Tea Leaves" pattern (same as Maddie's Tiny Tea Leaves) in grey wool. I've knitted through the yoke section & binded off the sleeves, now onto the body. This will take some time, but I'm excited to finally make something big for myself.

Also, I am starting a project a piece for M & J...short, skirt, skort?? Not entirely sure yet, but these are their fabrics so far..

Out with the Old..in with the Old.

We've been spending a lot of time recently organizing for a new school year, making new more comfortable,.. more functional spaces. I want the kids to have a work/crafty/creative room they can feel good in & a place that would do well when homework needs to be done. So far, our dining room has been a favorite place to do all those things in. So I'm trying to organize that space better & make it more functional. With that came saying goodbye to an old glass dining table, that took up so much space & was hard to work around. I was so ready to say goodbye. In with some new, but old pieces. This 50s style cabinet has given Jack a place to keep things & show off his legos. I'm searching for a table that will be my place to sew while they are at school & their place to color & create at. These are some of the new improvements..

Monday Music

Comics

Jack's new thing..cutting out the comics from the newspaper & gluing them into a notebook.?? He's also loving the library's comic selection.

Playing Cards.

Let's just say it's been a while since I played cards!! I find myself reading directions & thinking this is too easy, why didn't I play this as a kid. I don't remember sitting around playing cards until my teenage years & "spades" was the game. Vaguely, I remember Old Maid with my aunt & Uno around Christmas time. So this week with summer dwindling, I decided to pull out the many boxes of card games we have accumulated. I felt a little deja vue when I did this, since I'm pretty sure cards have always been shrugged off with a..."No, not cards!" But to my surprise they were excited to learn some new games & Maddie is at a perfect age to master Go Fish & Crazy Eights. Uno is my favorite. We have had so much fun the last few afternoons playing everything from Crazy Eights to Old Maid. Tonight, our game moved outside & Jack continued to beat us all at Uno & somehow I ended up with the Old Maid in hand!! No fair.

Gavotte

Monday Music

Listening to & excited about their upcoming show!

Making Headbands

A new, quick & easy knitting fix...HEAD BANDS! Love them & Maddie got a matching one for her sweater, I'm finally accepting the sweater as complete!! even though the perfectionist in me can't get over trying to alter the width!
For any knitters that may read my blog here's my headband version:
US 7 DPN or US 7 Circs., US 9 straight needles
Cast on 4, K an icord for 2"
Next row, M1 (KFB), now you have 8 St.
Knit St St for 2"
Change needles US 9, Knit every row (garter st) for 8" or larger, depending on the lenght you desire.
Change needles to US 7, St St., knit, purl for 2"
Decrease, Purl every 2 st together, you have 4 st.
Icord for 2"..leave tail & weave in & sew two sides together.

Our Backyard

When we first found our house almost five years ago, I remember really liking the feel of the backyard. I so wanted a neighborhood full of trees & having them in the backyard was a must. Coming from NC & always having trees everywhere, I feel lonely without them. Looking back, I'm so glad we decided on this house. The backyard is my favorite place to hang out in the summer; especially on summer nights. Here are a few things we saw in our yard today. Yes! another butterfly & Jack's beans are growing!! The insect mobile was inspired by bluebirdbaby. Jack's was much more creative with the fleece catepillar:)

Lots of Butterflies..

The backyard is full of all kinds of blooms right now..the coneflowers are fading but the black-eyed susans are still going strong & the bees & butterflies are loving the jasmine & butterfly bush. I love watching the butterflies. We saw this swallowtail yesterday. Jemma keeps trying to bite them, but we're hoping she continues to miss!

Watching Wizard of Oz

As a treat for finishing the book, my neighbor that I tutor came over this afternoon to watch "The Wizard of Oz." My kids hadn't seen the entire movie, so they were excited about watching it from beginning to end. It's always fun to compare books with movies & I think this one is full of lots of differences. It's been a long time since I had seen it & it was fun to see which parts & characters they liked best. I remember being so afraid of the lady on the bicycle in the beginning-Miss Almira Gulch..the neighbor who is bit by Toto & comes to capture him. My kids didnt seem that worried by her & actually giggled at the scenes of people flying by Dorothy's window when the twister lifts her house.

This movie is really amazing..every character seemed so layered with evolving problems & the actors are perfect for their parts. Everytime you watch it, you notice something you missed before. Judy Garland, her voice, oh my goodness! I'm glad I was able to be reminded of this classic. Left me thinking..how can a movie made in 1939 be so much better than the movies we are stuck watching in 2010.

Monday Music

Squash with a cherry on top!

This cute little squash hat I made over the weekend was missing something..so I decided to add a cute little cherry pom pom! I love it:)