From the Workshop

Another "diaper cake" centerpiece. There's a little baby boom going on in my neighborhood. Lots of baby showers.

Blankets for boy & girl twins whose nursery is brown & green:




I put crochet thread in the bobbin and button thread in the top before I stitched around the edge. I like how well-defined it came out:


Some things for a baby girl born a few months ago:


Boy's onesie set. There were pants too like the ones in the girl's set above, made from an old ribbed cotton sweater. With only four seams including the waistband and no hemming since I used the existing finished edge, those pants were easy-peasey:

I wish I'd remembered to take a picture of another girl's set I made, with a convertible gown.

One of four identical aprons for some girls at church that I love very much who are graduating from high school and therefore soon leaving the Young Women organization and moving into Relief Society:


For the record, my house is a mess.

I Love It When They Dress Themselves

For example:

I could never have put this outfit together and I honestly love it.

(Later.)
Me: What are you doing?
Ellen: I'm changing my skirt.
Me: Why?
Ellen: Because the other one was on backwards.

Well, the blue is lovely too.

And here's a little something Adam picked out for himself one day:

Deseret Chamber Singers Spring Concert

As I've mentioned before, I sing with this phenomenal choir. Just doing a little publicity for our concert this Saturday, since it's always nicer to sing to a full house. Admission is free!

Deseret Chamber Singers Spring Concert

Saturday, April 24th, 7:00pm - 8:00pm

First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City

777 S 1300 East, Salt Lake City

Click here for a map. (Enter your own address to get directions.)

Two Related Images

Proud preschooler:

What I found on the computer screen a few weeks ago after Adam had called out to me, "Mom? How do you spell 'the?'" (Guess he didn't hear the 'T.'):


His internet searching skills are improving, even if he still couldn't find what he was looking for.

It's Made of Diapers

Much to Ellen's dismay.

If you've been to many baby showers, you've probably seen these clever centerpieces made of diapers that the mom can use later. The first I heard of them was the time I was helping out with a shower several years ago and my friend was telling me excitedly about the "diaper cake" she was making for the event. The more she tried to explain, the more confused I became, and the more wrong it sounded. "Well, you roll up diapers, and you put ribbons on it . . ." Once I got the key piece of information that we were not talking about something you eat, everything finally fell into place.

Snow On Snow

It must be spring. My blog seems to be all about the weather again.

Easter Duds 2010

I did it! I got a couple of dresses made in time for Easter baskets last week. My bed missed me.


Before I had a chance to make Ellen's, I came across this beautiful little dress:

Incredibly well made and 70% off. I wanted to make one for her too, and I have yards and yards of the other eyelet left, just not TIME. I can't compete with the third world seamstresses.

The whole crew:

Hurray for warm golden sunshine! Hurray for tulips!

Now for some outtakes.

Ha. I say that like most of the shots weren't "outtakes." Actually, the few that turned out are the ones above, while I got about twenty shots of Zuzu and/or Ellen crying, even though I was promising them cookies in exchange for cooperation the whole time. (Thanks for the cookies, Julie!) The benefit to taking pictures after church? They're already gussied up. The drawbacks? They've been at church for the last 3 hours and are tired and hungry.

(Cause of tears: Jane had the gall to set her on the bench.)

(Cause of tears: Jane and her friend moved the bench. Zuzu wanted to help move the bench.)

I Hope This Post Won't Give Mr. Sun The Wrong Idea

Peter took me on a wonderful trip to the Needles District of Canyonlands the last weekend in March. What an amazing part of the planet. Some of the places we saw are new entries on my list of all-time favorites. I ♥ the Colorado Plateau, I ♥ my camping partner, and I ♥ exploring a new-to-me place, so what was not to love? Some might answer: the sleet, snow, wind, hail and unseasonable cold that met us. Apparently our superpower is to bring unlikely snow to camping trips. Uintas in August? Check. Canyonlands, the last week of March? Check. But we came prepared with warm and waterproof clothes, and I had my love to keep me warm. Fact is, while we were out in it, I was making a mental list of some of the advantages of hiking in rain or snow:

• More saturated scenery colors
• Dramatic lighting/moodier skies
• That "hyper-3D" effect of the low light on the landscape (Do you know what I'm talking about? Please say you get what I mean.)
• Fewer people on the trails (we saw hardly a soul in some of the most popular areas of the park!)
• Comfortable temperatures for hiking. You stay warm enough because you're moving, but you don't get overheated.
• You don't have to worry about getting sunburned
• You don't have to carry as much water
• Your pack's lighter because you're wearing everything you brought "just in case"

Of course it's a whole different story with kids, so I was extra grateful they were at home under the expert care of Peter's mom for this one.

More pictures from the trip (and a video!) at Peter's blog.Meanwhile, as winter hangs on and on here in Utah Valley, I'm just dying for warm, golden sunshine. We've had some good times together, but Snow, I guess what I'm saying is, I'm over you, and it's time to move on.

Picture Peter took in our backyard the day before yesterday.

Blur Your Eyes For Best Effect

I believe that googly eyes are one of mankind's great inventions.

I submit the following as evidence:

Wonderful/Horrible

The other day I told Peter that I'm tempted sometimes to buy those chocolate Easter bunnies for my kids' baskets, just because when I was a kid they were something my friends got that I never did. And so it came to be that I woke up to find this 15-inch monstrosity in a basket for me:


Diva Da' Bunny! My kids were so excited. They couldn't stand how long I waited to open it. I was giving out the little candy embellishments and Adam said, "I want the eye of the bunny!" Suddenly, my house was filled with the sound of my children wailing, "And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night, and he's watching us all with the EYYYYYYYYEE, of the bunny!" because recently Zuzu has used her powers of Internet to learn (and teach to her siblings) the lyrics to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger." This is hilarious, and also kind of horrible -- not unlike Diva Da' Bunny herself. I survived (no pun intended) 4 years worth of pep rallies and sporting events as an Orem High tiger without ever knowing what those lyrics were. And now I realize I preferred it that way.

A Month's Worth of Kid Quotes

Ellen, to Peter, when we're all in the car: Next time I want to drive.
Peter: You'll be old enough to drive when you're 16.
Ellen: No, I can drive. 'Cause I have my princess keys.

Ellen, to Zuzu's 7 year-old friend: Where's your cell phone?
Zuzu's friend: I don't have a cell phone. I have to be 16. And I have to buy it with my own money.
Ellen: I have a cell phone.

Adam: Winnie the pooh.
Ellen: We need a poo?
This exchange is repeated several times, with escalating emphasis on the "Winnie!" from Adam.

Adam, yelling at me across the house and not knowing I'm within earshot: MOM! I'll DIE if you don't come and help me with this RIGHT NOW!
Zuzu: Adam, that's not true. You wouldn't die.
Adam: I know, but I WANT her to do it, so I'm lying.

Adam has been asking ceaselessly to make something "out of nails and wood." Everyday, "Mom, please let's go get some wood and some nails and I can make something." So Peter bought a kit and helped him build this airplane. Adam was over the moon. He said to me, "Next I want to make a computer."

Me: I can't find it. I've looked everywhere I can think of.

Adam: Then it's in one of the places you couldn't think of! You need to look in those places!

Ellen, October 2009

I'm going to start doing some posts based on random photos.*

I made this dress for Ellen for Halloween/Fall 2008, and I was so pleased that it still fit, once I loosened the sleeve elastic, the next year.

*Considering recent trends, maybe I shouldn't start any sentence with a statement so bold as "I'm going to start doing some posts. . . "

Saturday Morning TRIPtych

Green Eggs & Jane

I can hear Jane & Zuzu at the end of the hall lying in their bunk beds. Zuzu wants to go to sleep, but Jane is in a chatty mood.*

Jane: Would you, could you, in a box?
Zuzu: Would you, could you, please be quiet?
Jane: I don't know; I've never tried it.

*Jane has always needed less sleep than Zuzu, so Zuzu is frequently sleep deprived as a consequence of sharing a room with her.

Valentine's Day Redux

Zuzu's class had a valentine box decorating contest. She wanted to make a circus tent box.

Here's her original design drawing:

(I love, love, love that elephant drawing.)

And here's the finished box:


Better show you the other sides too:



Peter helped her build the box lid (It's hinged. I'm not kidding.) and I helped her with the decoration.

My sister Suzy generously let the cousins come over and squander vast amounts of use her craft supplies for a valentine-making extravaganza. Here is Jane with the fruits of her labor:


Jane was most perturbed that I bought pencils to give away instead of candy again this year. We're that family.

Excuse me for a moment while I scroll up and check out that elephant drawing again.

To bring this post back into the present, here's a picture Peter took in our backyard this morning:

And here's a picture of our backyard right now:


Here we go again.

Just Me and The Alpine Loop

Yesterday, I went up into the mountains for an outing, by myself, on an ordinary weekday, while Peter was at work. That has not happened since before I birthed my firstborn.

I have a couple of things to say about trading babysitting with neighbors: Hallelujah, Amen! The last two weeks I had too much to do so I didn't do anything fun on my free morning. Yesterday, again, I had too much to do. So I blew it all off and headed for the hills for a couple of hours.

Hallelujah, Amen!

I had the trail entirely to myself on the way up.

*This hat features in every outdoor cold weather photo of me from the last 8 years. I keep thinking I'll buy another hat. But then, this one has never failed to keep my head warm and it seems silly to buy a new hat solely to lend some variety to the family photo album.

**I also took some self portraits facing the camera. They were not fit for human optical consumption. It was just as well there was no one else on the trail.

I did come across a musher with a full team of sled dogs on my way back down. I thought that was pretty cool. Then I got to ski through what the full team of sled dogs had left behind.

It's Hard to Drive in High Heels

Both Statements Can Be True

Tuesday night my dad babysat so Peter and I could go to the temple. Today when I gave Ellen a hug and said, "I love you," she pointed her finger at me and sang, "And I love YOU, a bushel and a peck!"

Ellen: Gampa Tacy sang dat to me. He sang dat to me when I was in my bed.
Me: Aww. You know he used to sing that song to me when I was a little girl?
Ellen: No, he sang that to me when I was a little girl!

You're Never Fully Dressed Until You Look Like A Million Bucks

Children are good at pointing out to you things you may say all the time without realizing it. For example, I never noticed how often I said "Oh dear," until a sing-songy "Ah dee" popped up as a staple of Jane's just-over-a-year-old vocabulary.

The other day after Adam got dressed, he came and found me, put his hands on his hips, and queried, "Do I look like a million bucks?" And this morning after I got her dressed, Ellen started asking me repeatedly, "What I am?" It took a while for her to help me understand that the correct response to the question was "You look like a million bucks."

I'm pretty sure I picked up that one from Peter.