Balloon Glow

Our first balloon glow was super.

The weather was perfect.

We arrived a bit early.  Staked our our spot.

Which was behind these awesome lawn chairs.

 There was cotton candy and roasted corn on the cob. 

Then, the first balloon appeared over the horizon.

 The sun started setting and the glowing began.

Hydrangea Harvest

We have a 30 foot hedge of hydrangeas. I have cut and hung a few of the last blooms.

Hopefully they will dry nicely and we can enjoy the memory of summer throughout the dark wet winter that is to come.

Showers and Birthdays

It's been hard to get back in to the swing of sewing since our move, but it's coming back to me... slowly.

We've had a handful of parties in the last few weeks, which has helped.

I went to a shower for a friend who's expecting her first in a few short weeks.  She is a musician and I thought she might enjoy one of our family's favorite books, "Animal Orchestra". 

 

I also made a thin, knit blanket. 

And a wipes & diaper pouch.

One of Henry's cute friends turned four.  She is the girliest-girl and just darling.  So, Henry and I made a skirt for her together.  He insisted on pink and purple and loved sitting on my lap, guiding the fabric through the machine.  If there are any mistakes, I'm totally blaming him. 

:)

Table Top Makeover

We found this table in our attic, five years ago, when we bought our house.  It had seen better days.  The veneer was warped, broken and stained from water damage, but I thought the metal legs were pretty cool and it was just too solid of a table to throw away-- it is surprisingly heavy.  We moved it out to our shed and there it sat until recently...

Our new place is great, but there isn't much room for my big sewing amoire.  Needing a place to rest my sewing machine was the motivation I needed to finally refinish our attic find and make it useful once more.

My father-in-law took the legs off, sanded the whole thing down and replaced the old screws that were holding the legs on.  

I know.  I'm super lucky.

I decoupaged paper to the top and now I have a clean, smooth, sturdy surface where I can sew my heart out!

Cheapest Dog House on the Block

 Our puppy chews.  A lot.  He's chewed up shoes, a door mat, feather pillows, stuffed animals, dish cloths, toilet paper, bath towels, computer cords, clothes, cell phone chargers, and a tennis ball, to name a few.  He's chewed holes in my four-year old's pants, while the four-year old was in them.  When we first got him, we bought a plastic dog crate, to crate train him, but he chewed the hinges off.  People say dogs out grow this stage.  

I'm hoping they are right.

Since our mini-move, Mochi has been happily playing in our country back yard and sleeping on our deck.  But, the weather is getting colder and wetter and the puppy needs some shelter.  I've scoured Craigslist for a used dog house with little luck.  I just can't bring myself to fork out more money on something he's going to destroy.

So, Billy came up with a great idea: turn a storage tote into a dog house.  

Brilliant!

We bough an 18qt storage box for less than $6 at Target, turned it upside down and traced a hole for the door.

   Billy used a box cutter to cut it out.  

 We snapped the lid on, turned the tote upside down, and put sealant in between the box and the lid, all the way around.

Next, Billy used sealant to attach a spare lid to the top, for a little added rain protection.

Ta-Da!  A dog house!  And I don't care if the dog chews it up, because it was only $6!