Fourth of July Dress

We were rained out this Fourth of July. A storm came through right at nightfall. The local fireworks show was postponed until July 5th, but we weren't allowed to do our personal ones (at least, not in the city limits...we could probably take them up to the Farm and do them, but we aren't planning to). Still, I think Miss M had a mighty fine day. She's always begging me to let her play in the rain, but most of the time there's too much thunder and lightening to allow her that pleasure. This time, however, the rain was warm, there was no thunder, and I let her stay out till lunchtime. Unfortunately, she was wearing the Fourth of July Dress I made her and she had to change into dry clothes before I got a chance to snap her picture. I finally got her to put it back on today for a quick photo session.

I used the "Polka dot blouse" pattern (#16 from Ottobre 1/2008) in a size 98. I really like this pattern because it's cute and comfy and has no buttons, zippers, or elastic! Size 98 is a it big for Miss M, but for this particular pattern it doesn't matter too much...plus, she'll be able to wear it next year! The changes I made were to cut the sleeves short and lengthen the hem (at an A-line) about 14 inches. I added a ruffle about 1.5 times as long as the lower edge circumference.

The headscarf is #40 from Ottobre 3/2010.

I have one more dress in the works for Miss M and then I'm planning to turn my thoughts to fall and winter. Both kids have enough for the rest of the summer, but they'll both need things for cooler weather. I need to figure out what sort of a SWAP to do. Insanely ambitious with one for each kid? A mini SWAP for each kid? Just jackets? What about a bit of sewing for me? Hmm...decisions, decisions.

Comments

Review: Seed Starting by Gary Emmett (an ebook)

As I've already confessed, I am a plant murderer . I have, however, had marginal success with container gardening. The past year or two I started seedlings with my dad, which means the kids and I dropped a few seeds in pots and my dad cared for them. Once they were established outside, I was able to keep them alive long enough to harvest a few peppers and tomatoes and have a pretty pot of flowers on my doorstep. (At least until a horrid heat-wave and drought came along and killed them all; it's hard to keep containers well-watered when it's that hot!) In spite of the 10+ inches of snow on the ground right now, it's time to think about starting seeds again and I figure if I'm ever going to develop a green thumb, I better start educating myself! That is why I jumped at the opportunity to read Gary Emmett's book Seed Starting: The First Step to Gardening . (affiliate link) Available for your Kindle or Kindle app from Amazon. Currently priced at $2...

MFW ECC: What's different this time around?

I am so excited to go through Exploring Countries and Cultures again. The last time my kids were so little -- 3rd grade and Kindergarten. And now they are in 5th and 8th grades! They have grown so much over the past five years. As I began to think about our plan for this year, I realized two things: 1) my gifted eldest child remembers just about everything we covered in ECC the first time, and 2) my younger one hasn't had many of the basics that ECC covers. So I was faced with a dilemma -- how do I adjust ECC to suit the very different needs of both children? How do I shift the focus for my 8th grader to aspects of ECC that she hadn't spent time on before (such as types of governments, imports and exports, etc.) while also taking my younger child through the more foundational information that he missed when he was just a kindergartener? ECC is designed to be parent-led, family learning, with a supplement for 7th and 8th grade. But I came to the conclusion that I need to deco...

No More Quiet Time

I have always thought it sounded trite to speak of “falling in love with Jesus.” But trite or not, isn’t that what I want for my children? To learn to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). With that in mind, and having run across this blog post on Pinterest several months ago, I created a morning devotion basket for the kids and I to use. You see, up till now, I would typically find time to read the Bible and pray away from my children. Away from distraction, away from the demands of dust and dirty dishes, and away from the 437 questions a four-year-old asks every day. Then I realized I was doing them a major disservice by disallowing them to see me in the Word regularly. If I want them to love the Lord God, then I must show them how I love the Lord my God! Our new routine is to wake up in the morning, prepare a simple breakfast — usually cold cereal for the kids, toast and tea for me — and sit d...

CHRISTEPHI

Search This Blog