Photoless Update... Sorry

So I was not planning on blogging today so I have zero photos to share. Julie wanted her coat on this morning, so I figured that we'd come to the library. Of course, the day I DON'T bring the camera with us is the day she falls asleep and I actually have time to blog. Oh well. Life keeps rolling by incredibly quickly. I haven't used my sewing machine again, mainly because Arek and I decided I needed to have a budget for my craft spending. Julie's dress used my January project money, and I have already spent my February money on a project I am SUPER excited about, but you will have to wait to know what it is because I'm trying to keep it a secret from Arek. He never looks on here, but my luck, this would be the one time. :)

Julie continues to grow like a weed. I can't wait until her 18 month appointment to see what her new stats are. I thought she would be slowing down growing (and she is because for the first time in MONTHS I haven't had to buy her new clothes) but she is still getting taller. I keep wondering how I got such a big girl so quickly, but she's adorable and I love her lots. Lately I've been trying to teach her some signs because she still doesn't say many specific words. She has added yeah and no to her vocabulary though. She thinks "no" is a funny word and laughs every time she says it, which is a lot, even when she means yes. She is very good at signing "please"and "more" and we're working on "done" and "thank you". We are going to check out a book from the library to do some more because she really seems to enjoy it.

Arek is busy as ever, but still manages to stay on top of all his school work. Julie loves to have him put her to bed at night now. I love hearing him sing her to sleep... it's priceless.

Next week I should have photos to share and also be able to share my February craft.

Ta Da!

I LOVE my sewing machine that I got for Christmas. I have spent most evenings since I got it sewing things together, including a jean quilt-top that I've been wanting to make for ages but couldn't because I didn't have a sewing machine. And I wasn't going to do THAT by hand... one hand-quilt was enough. Anyway, but until I buy the border, binding, and back fabric that quilt will have to remain a quilt-top. In the meantime, though, I decided to sew a dress for Julie. She is growing like a weed and most of her church dresses have become very short on her (which is fine, I know, because she's a toddler and wears tights, but she still needed a new dress).

So after many hours deciphering pattern lingo and lots of phone calls to my mom to help me understand what I was supposed to be doing, and having to unpick stitches several times,

here is my first completed project on my new sewing machine:

I think it turned out really well. I had a lot of fun doing it and it was so satisfying to see the finished product. Here are some of the many things I learned with this project:

- how to gather

- sew a zipper

- sew on satin ribbon (which I learned it really hard to do and still make it look good)

- add lining to the inside of the dress

It fits!

Despite her face in this next picture, she loved wearing the dress. And since it was a 2T size, it still has room for her to grow, which is good because she is still growing like a weed!

And, as you can see, she can still climb in it, which is very important for Julie!

Play Time, Nap Time

Now that the holidays are over, and Arek is back into school and both jobs, Julie and I have lots of time just to ourselves. We try to incorporate new things into our routine at home, since we can't go outside often due to how cold it is (no snow to speak of but it sure is BRR chilly!). So, to entertain ourselves, Julie and I get silly and create new jobs for ordinary household items. Here is one of her picks for the colander: It reminds me of one of those fencing masks you see in the movies. It made me laugh so I made her out it on her face again so I could take a picture :)

And here is a first for Julie: She fell asleep while eating lunch. I had to snap a photo before laying her down in bed... I know my mom has several photos of me doing this, but this is honestly Julie's first time. Precious!

Ride 'Em, Cowgirl!

My dad made Julie a rocking horse for Christmas. My grandpa made a similar one for all of children's families, and my dad thought it would be great to continue the tradition. Julie absolutely LOVES it. It only took her a couple of days to learn how to climb on it herself (Which , despite how easy it looks in this picture, is quite a sight to see because it is taller than her legs are long. She has to pull herself to a standing position on it and then lower her legs down to straddle it).

She climbs on up and rocks out dozens of times every day. Here's one of my favorite snapshots that I've captured of her on it... I love that she is showing her new "cheese" grin.

Thanks, Grandpa Glad!