Nature Girl

I don't know how she does it.  This was the second day in a row that Lucy caught a butterfly with her bare hands.  No net needed.  This girl has such a knack for nature.

Sometimes, a Girl Just Needs...

Things have been a little rough around here lately. 

Lots of change.  Lots of uncertainty.  Lots of hurrying up, only to wait.  

I've started working evenings and miss being home to make sure things go smoothly for dinner, bath and bed. I miss having that intimate end of the day time with the kids to chat about important things and read stories.

Living in limbo has been hard on all of us, but especially Lucy, who thrives on stability and routine.  I have been trying to think of ways to help her adjust and cope.  Last night, I got the feeling that she needed some extra attention.  We put her hair in curlers, painted her nails and I pulled out an Oliver + S Ice Cream Tunic I'd been saving for Christmas.  She is auditioning for the school musical today and I wanted her to feel extra confident.   

 Speaking of the school musical... she misplaced her script last night and was in a panic because she was suppose to have a small part memorized for the try outs.  So, guess what I spent the better part of the night doing...  Googling and YouTubing that little play until I found the line she was working on, then typing out the part for her to look over this morning.  

I don't really think a new outfit and cute nails will cure her anxiety and quell the mood swings, but I'm hoping it helps her know she is special and loved, without a doubt.

Sunday Skirt

A new skirt for Lucy, similar to her first day of school  skirt from first grade.

This time, I added a pocket.

Fabric: Amy Butler Daisy Chain 

Pattern: none

No Pattern-No Hem Sun Dress

This was an easy dress to piece together and perfect for this crazy, hot weather we've been having.  I love the look of a scalloped edge!  I used a scalloped rotary cutter blade-- made the pockets and hem easy-peasy.

The gingham was from Walmart and I'm not confident it will hold up well.  I'm crossing my fingers it doesn't melt in the dryer. :)

Prima Ballerina

End of the school year means dance recital night and dance recital night means one super happy and excited girl and one crazy, stressed out momma.  On top of trying to remember every little bit of costume, snacks, backstage activities, flowers, extra bobby pins, lipstick, and dinner, treats and activities for the little brother in waiting, I have the dreaded task of putting Lucy's 20lbs of slippery straight hair into a bun.  That is never a pretty sight and takes much longer than it should.  Same goes for my application of stage makeup.  These things stress me out.

Last year, Billy was out of town, so I was running solo.  By the time I got down to the theater and I realized I'd forgotten Lucy's shoes.  I had to race back to my street parking with Henry en toe, speed home, retrieve the shoes, race back downtown, find another place to park, and deliver the shoes before the show started.

This year, I thought would be miles easier since Billy was home and my loving friend, Rachel, who happens to be a hairdresser, graciously came to my rescue and did Lucy's hair for me.  Things were going smoothly until it was time to go.  Billy was running late, Lucy majorly ripped her tights as we were heading out the door (which meant an emergency trip to Target on the way to the theater, where they were sold out of of the right kind of tights) and forgetting to pick up flowers for our darling daughter.

But, once again, friends came to the rescue and Kristin was able to pick up an extra bouquet on her way to the theater for me.

Final Bow                                                                                                       Finale Number

Henry pooped out before the three hour show was over, just like last year.

She did such a great job!  She had a little solo pose in the middle of her class' dance.  If you blinked, you missed it, but she was so excited about it.  

This face is the reason I succumb to chaos once a year.

I couldn't believe how many of her friends came out to watch her.  It really made her night to have her girls there.

One more photo op leaving the theater.   

 Now I've got a whole year to stock up on extra tights... I just wonder what kind of glitches await me that I can't prepare for!

1st Day of 2nd Grade

After my not so successful experiment making a t-shirt dress, I went to Target and found this one for only $3.74. SCORE! So, Lucy was excited to wear it for her first day.


It matched her back to school manicure perfectly-- an added a bonus! You can read more about there here, if you'd like. It's always nice when you can mooch off of a better writer's skills for you blog-- thanks K! :)

She found out that her best friend is in her class-- not only in her class but sitting next to her, lucky girl! Actually, there are three kids in Lucy's grade (including L) who go to our church and they are all in the same class. Kind of neat!

Tweed-ish and Tweaking

The last time I went to Dallas and discovered Heaven on Earth, I picked up some interesting cotton called Quilter's Tweed to add to my stash. It's visually textural, but fairly smooth to the touch and lighter weight than it looks. You can click here to learn more about it. I really liked the blend of colors and thought it had a lot of potential. So, in the midst of my School-Clothes-Sewing-Extravaganza, I realized Lucy would need some shorts (especially to go with this shirt) and I thought of the tweed. Tweaking my Oliver + S Puppet Show pattern was the trickiest part. Enlarging a pattern (four sizes larger than it was meant to go) always makes me break a sweat. I'm never quite sure if I've been exact enough with my measurements until they're finished. But, these little shorts seemed to turn out okay. I guess we'll see if they hold up after a day of breaking in!

Never mind my reluctant model, good help is so hard to find.

Home Made Birthday

Lucy got some fabulous handmade gifts for her birthday. Thought I would share...

An Oliver + S Dress (made by Kristin)

Eye Shades-- these were on the top of her wish list (made by Grandma J)

Apron-- another wish list item (made by Grandma J)

Ice Cream Cake shaped like the number 7 (or an L, depending on where you're sitting)

Lucy Rides

Lucy has been putting off learning to ride a bike for a long time now. She's not a very adventurous soul when it comes to activities requiring coordination. I think she inherited that from me. But, Billy, being the good dad that he is, decided it was time to bite the bullet. He took her out all morning and they came back with a surprise...