The cold nights we've been having reminded me that Fig does not yet have a quilt for her crib. And so I've started this little blue and red themed one for her...

(The colors are very off in this picture. I'll post a better picture when the quilt gets a bit bigger.)

Nothing fancy, no design. I want it to look more like a scrap quilt than anything else (even though only half the fabric being used is actual scraps.) I'm trying not to think about precise measurements, accurate angles, order, etc., etc. and just be random and have fun. So far I'm enjoying it.

I packed one box today. That's something, right? Not a grand something by any means, just a small measly little something, but it's something. And I'm content with that.

I've determined that if I pack just one box a day, everything will be packed in time for the move. And of course, once I've packed my box for the day, I can do all that sewing/crafting without feeling guilty. So far, so good--I like this plan!

It leaves me with time to work on this:

an embroidered tablecloth that I still haven't gotten around to finishing. My enthusiasm for this project started to wane when I discovered, after several days of hard work, that I still had 200+ flowers left to do. Looking at it now I'm thinking about how lovely it would look on our table in our new house. Enthusiasm back? You bet!

Now let's see, I have one box to pack a day...and how many flowers a day to embroider??

A recent trip to Goodwill and for just twenty-nine cents apiece were these lovelies:
I've been wanting to try out smocking, so these patterns are just perfect. That long sleeved smocked top with the pants would be just perfect for fall don't you think? And I'm loving that little bonnet in the other pattern--too cute!The baby pattern happens to be too small for the girls, but I'm sure I'll have plenty more opportunities to use it. I'm really loving the little sail boat romper and shirt. And the other pattern is a bit too old for the girls now, but really so fun don't you think?

So there we are, me collecting and buying more things and...not making anything. I think I feel a little guilty about crafting when I should be packing (yes, another move coming soon) and so because I just can't work up the enthusiasm for packing I'm not crafting...if that makes sense. Maybe next week I'll be more productive and get a little bit of each done. Maybe...

Autumn has arrived early. Already there is a haze of yellow, red, or orange around the trees. The mornings and evenings are chilly and the days are just warm enough for short sleeves with a sweater close at hand for when the sun wanders behind the clouds. Autumn, when the tourists begin to pack their bags and and head home...

...and the beaches become all ours again.

And though the water is too cool for swimming in...

...the sand is just warm enough for playing in.

We're all back from camping.(Yes, even Curious George.)
Wearing a slight sunburn, smelling of campfire smoke, and thoroughly, yet happily exhausted.
Catching up on sleep and chores.
And spending these last few days together, enjoying ourselves.

In case you were wondering, here is Fig's birthday cake.

A very yummy, scrumptious coconut cake. And yes, yet again, the recipe came from this Martha Stewart cookbook.

One more birthday, one more cake to go. It's going to be a lemon one next!

The three happiest days of my life have all happened in August. My wedding day, the birth of my first daughter, and the birth of my second daughter--all three happened in August.

It is Fig's birthday today. She is now one year old.

How time flies. A year already...can that be?

Happy Birthday Fig--I love you sweetie!

A little late night crafting after the babies have gone to sleep.

This little guy is almost complete.

It was hot again today. Hot as in almost a hundred. Hot as in sweat beads then pours off of you as you sit still. That kind of hot. Our third day running of hot...and humid. No beach for us today, we wanted an artificial cool environment, we wanted air conditioning.
And so we sat, all hot and irritable, thinking about where we could go that would be worth a visit and would have airconditioning. It's hard to think in the heat...so we thought for awhile. And then it occurred to me that the library had free passes to the art museum--a worthwhile place to visit, inexpensive (two dollars for parking was all it cost us), and air-conditioned. The perfect place!
So we spent our day at the art museum. We saw some Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt (the girls liked the babies in her paintings), Winslow Homer, and my personal favorite for the day Edmund Tarbell. You can see some of his paintings here (we saw the first and third ones on the page--Summer Breeze, in person, is beautiful!)
The girls enjoyed themselves for a time and then got a bit antsy, so thankfully there was a children's room where the girls could interact with museum artwork...
...replicating the painting above them(our girls would never have sat still long enough for painting!)

...piecing together artwork puzzles

...exploring the interiors of historical houses

...and running laps around furniture (Fig had a lot, a lot of energy.)

It really was a perfectly lovely day!

And now we're back home wondering where those thunderstorms (and the cooler weather supposedly behind them) are. Hmm....