Apple says the missing front tooth makes her braids look even cooler.  Richard & I hope she will always be so self-confident and one-of-a-kind.

:), Varenia

Photo from the Whole Grain Baby flickr pool-- courtesy of etcetera147 using the WGB Halter Dress Pattern-- what a cute Holiday Dress this would make!

Cyber Monday sale at the ol' shop is officially on-- please use code CYBERWGB to receive 50% off your purchase of 2 or more patterns-- expires Tuesday at 8am PST, so don't delay!

Wishing you & yours a very happy holiday season!

:), Varenia

For her first grade wardrobe. Fabric: flea market fancy by Denyse Schmidt. Pattern: improvised joint effort between my girl & I.

Sometimes I feel guilty for taking a break from the blog-o-sphere, but it was much needed and much enjoyed.  And the best part is I get to come back to it with fresh eyes, feeling invigorated instead of that nagging feeling of "having" to churn out a post because... I don't know why.  Other bloggers out there have put it much more eloquently than I, but basically I have no desire to get caught up in the rat race of feeling pressured to post every day, sew or create or make something "blog-worthy" every day, and then, of course, trying to top yourself and do it all over again the next day, even more brilliantly than the last.

The thing I do really miss about blogging though (besides you all!) is having that chronicle of my babies' childhoods, the happy moments and the heartbreaking ones.  I also miss using my blog as a platform to keep friends and family close by, even when they may not be geographically.

Don't worry!  There will still be plenty of sewing and crafts-- but I'm also hoping this space will become  little more personal, sharing the story of our family.

So, what have we been doing, you ask?  Eating Up Summer! mostly.

I love-love-love where we live.  Richard and I are both beach people, and we couldn't imagine our family growing up away from the water.  We are lucky enough to have one of Southern California's most lovely beaches  pretty much as our backyard, and now that we don't have any crawling-around-putting-sand-and-who-knows-what-else-in-their-mouths-type-babies anymore, we intend to make full use of it.

Lately, we've been making use of the beach as sailors.  And sometimes pirates.  But mostly sailors.  The big kids are taking sailing lessons through the Yacht Club, which for Apple includes learning the terminology, sailing with the instructors and in teams, working on knots, as well as lots of swimming in the harbor and ocean-themed arts and crafts.  She is in love with the program, and has done really well, especially  on "Dress Like a Pirate Day" where all 75+ sailors or so (Apple is probably the youngest of the group) were charged with the task of sailing around the island, stopping to read instructions & find clues, a real-life Pirates Treasure Hunt. I was shocked when I learned that Apple & her sailing buddy won the entire hunt, coming in First Place, beating out all the older and more experienced sailors.  I don't know why the tenacity of this girl continues to surprise me, but it does.  I've never met a kid quite like her-- she very truly puts her personal best into everything she does. 

Rye has had a much harder time with sailing.  The program for his age is different and more advanced than Apple's, requiring the sailors to own, rig, and man their own 8-foot sabots, although they do participate in "buddy sailing" quite often.  He loved it the first couple of weeks, then experienced some rough winds and choppy waters, and that love turned into a massive fear of the ocean that I've never seen in my oldest beach baby.  The instructors have been great, offering to ride with Rye in his boat, or pairing him with another sailor, but the fear is still there.  He has even asked to quit the sailing program, and all of a sudden I find myself having to make Big Parenting Decisions.  I don't want him to think quitting is the solution to an uncomfortable situation, and more importantly, I want him to have the coping mechanisms and skills to work through fear-inducing situations.  I really don't care if he's ever a good sailor, but I do want him to have stick-to-it-ive-ness, and learn that having a great respect for the ocean is different than fearing it.  

We'll see how it works out for him in a couple of weeks when the program is over.  In the meantime we've been trying to remain very supportive, and Richard has been working very hard with Rye to get him comfortable being on the water again.

Piper says she can't wait to sail by herself when she's old enough, but for now her and Jack mostly enjoy swimming around the dock and searching for crabs.

The kids do have their end-of-sailing Yacht Club Banquet coming up, which I think is a great excuse to make some fancy clothes for them.  My sewing time has been limited lately, but the ideas in my head are spilling over, so I know it's time to turn some of the designs I'm playing with into reality.  

Until then...

Browsing through internet-land I stumbled upon this charming little Dutch (I think?) fabric  shop.  These fabrics look like they're interlock jerseys, or something similar, and I have such a haaaard time finding cute knits either locally or online in the states.

Super cute, right?  My little guy would love a t-shirt in the one above.  And my birdie-loving girlie would love a simple knit dress in the one below. 

Problem is, I have no idea how to order.  Tried using "Google Translate"-- to no avail.  Any of my multi-lingual friends out there that can give us a rundown of the basics?  I'm curious about the price point of these fabrics, do they ship to the US, and an approximate guess of shipping rates?

Until then, I'll be dreaming about cozy, stretchy, jersey, yummy crafting.

I la-la-la-love this Little Mod Dress by Karla.  She's selling them in her etsy shop, and I must say the little pocket and stuffed matryoshka doll is just too cute and such a sweet idea.  

Apple's kindergarten combines Valentines Day (and the weeks before) with a unit on the Post Office.  The kids sent little notes (mostly Valentines cards) to each other, and address, stamp, and "mail" the little parcels in their classroom.  It's pretty cute, really.  Apple is always thrilled when it's her turn to "stamp" all of the letters and send them out to the "carriers" to deliver.

Needless to say, mail requires envelopes.  Is it just me, or are store bought Valentines not coming with envelopes anymore?  Rye's didn't have any either.  Cool princess stickers, yes.  Envelopes, no.

Good ol' Martha Stewart to the rescue!  We used this tutorial to turn hearts cut out of wrapping paper into envelopes, and I think it turned out super neat, and easy for a 5 year old to do.  If you have a 5 year old like mine, the "do it yourself" aspect of a project is always a big hit.

Not only does the recipient get a cool card, but once they open up the envelope there's the option to put a groovy "secret message" on the inside of the heart.

Happy Valentines Day!

Patched up and voilà!.... Better than ever.

Hope you're having a great weekend!