15 months

Can you believe Gretchen is 15 months old? I can't! Overnight it seems she's turned into a toddler; walking all over the place, running when she knows she did something naughty, climbing stairs, going down stairs on her belly, climbing chairs, sitting on bikes, biting, and grabbing hair.

She still isn't much of a talker but has no problem telling you what she wants. Her pointer finger has an awful lot of power around here. She does say Dada, Mama, and signs 'more' all the time. She loves the dog and can often be found feeding him her food. She's a great eater. Some recent discoveries are tomatoes and broccoli, YES!

She's 32 1/4" tall (95%) and 22#11oz (50%). Gretchen is growing beautifully and we love our little cuddle bug.

christmas in april

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, that is, if you happen to be in my basement. After last season I bought myself some great Robert Kaufman fabric on sale knowing that I really need to make myself a Christmas quilt. Most of it is from his O'Tinsel Tree line by Pink Light Design. I had to fill in with some old Kate Spain too. I'll be making a kaleidoscope quilt using Don't Call Me Betsy's quilt along.

I've also been practicing my quilting skills by making some dishcloths. It's a great project to work on at night when I'm upstairs and not stuck in the basement.

Lastly, I finished another bucket hat for my girlfriend's little guy, Ivan. Just in time for a beautiful zoo trip yesterday! He wasn't so sure about the hat, but I'm sure it will grow on him. This is the Oliver + S pattern I printed from a library book. Just trying to be resourceful...

Linking up with Lee this week...

laying low

Sorry I've been absent around here. It's hasn't been too exciting. I haven't done much quilting/crafting and the kids really haven't been up to much either. We've had a spurt of cold weather around here and that doesn't exactly make us productive. 

Over the weekend we got to ride bikes outside (Charlotte can now ride around the court on her tricycle), do a little re-planting and gardening, and painted the downstairs bathroom. Two little girls also moved in just two houses down from us. It's great for Charlotte!!

But this cold weather is really a downer. We've all had a cold/cough on and off. Gretchen is going on about two weeks here. We're miserable! The kids are dying to get outside every day but the rain isn't helping. Argh. Summer, where are you?!

new ladybug wings

sick baby girl

striped bathroom

five year anniversary

Friday the 13th means something a little different in our household. Five years ago we were married on a sunny (and snowy) afternoon and nothing bad happened. Yes, we were married on Friday the 13th. Looking back I can't believe how fast time has gone by. Kevin and I only date for a year-and-a-half before we were engaged. In the time we've known each other we've done a lot of fun things. I always imagined we'd go back to Napa Valley for our 5-year anniversary, but we'll have to settle for dinner downtown. At least we are making it a special occassion and going to Lake Park Bistro. Yum!!

Kevin and I are opposities, but the good kind. We compliment each other very well. We've had some really good times and some really bad times. But that's what marriage is about. Accepting the ups and the downs but always making sure you are there for the other person. I know we  have a long life ahead and can't wait to see what's in store. The family we've made together is amazing!

Here's a walk down memory lane for you.

Boundary Waters 2005?

newly engaged August 2006

San Francisco

We got puttpies (Griffin & Zoe)

Alaska backpacking July 2007

Cozumel, Mexico

Boundary Waters 2008

We became parents (Charlotte) March 2011

We added on to the family

Green Bay, Bay Beach - summer 2011

WIP Wednesday

It's been a busy week getting things back in order after Easter weekend. The kids were so good for us when we traveled up to the cabin. They were even fairly good kids during the record breaking 45-minute Easter church service in White Lake, Wis. The girls have taken very well to traveling in the car. Finally, an accomplishment!

I haven't done a lot of sewing the last two weeks, but I've had a lot of little things to work on that really needed the time. Last week I did finish three bucket hats for Gretchen, Charlotte & Ava. They turned out awesome and can't wait to make a few more. I used the pattern from the Oliver + S book. I used two prints from Kate Spain's new line Good Fortune.

I finished Gretchen's pillow sham to match her diamond quilt (which still needs to be basted).

diamond quilt sham

I've cut and packaged all the fabric for my Quilt Bee but my month isn't until November. We will be doing the Summer Sampler Series with some Flea Market Fancy. I c-a-n-n-o-t wait!!

I've also started to re-wallpaper Charlotte's new dollhouse. After reading a few things and talking with Dana, I decided to give scrapbook paper a try. There doesn't seem to be a lot of modern wallpaper out there that's suitable (or accessible) for tiny dollhouses. Paper = cheap

dollhouse re-wallpapered

Lastly, I finally bought some artwork for the downstairs bathroom. After hanging one of the flower prints I realized how much I really dislike the color of that bathroom. What's with blue? This whole dang house was painted the color of a germ-free hospital. Hate it! So, impulsive project #39 has started. I'm painting it the same color of the family room (paint already on hand) and will later add some horizontal stripes in a few shades lighter. It will look great, I promise you!

Linking up will Lee of Freshly Pieced today.

pinwheels quilt top

My second quilt top for myself is finished and even though I had reservations at first, I love it! I'm a big fan of red and this is such a yummy, warm, red quilt. Made with Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush line and some Kona Bone, it's an oversized lap quilt.

I followed this pinwheels quilt tutorial found here from This Domestic Bliss.

I was very unsure how to quilt this one because I wanted to keep the shape of the pinwheels. After lots of thought and advice, I've straight line quilted it following the triangles. The lines have made a great pattern that you can really see well from the back. Love it!!

The back is pieced using the left over fabric. I really love the HST square in the middle. Yummy.