snapshots from the weekend

i have started sewing the birthday dress! her birthday is two months and one day away. i feel pretty good that i've already cut it out and started sewing it. especially since she wants a full outfit for her doll too. i love this strawberry print by heather ross. i love all of her fabric designs. i bought a stack of fat quarters from her latest collection, Briar Rose, last summer. i still haven't done anything with those fat quarters, but i think about what kind of quilt i'm going to make at least twice a week. i made baby quilts for both of my babies, but that's all i've done when it comes to quilting. i don't think i need to make anything complicated, in fact i think simple will be better. i'm trying to decide between making a quilt for gianna's bed or a quilt for all of us to use in the backyard. hmm, i think the backyard quilt might need to be made out of something less precious than this gorgeous fabric. maybe i'll make this one. sorry my sewing photos are so dark. my studio is in the basement.

something i am hoping to attend, some time in the future, is a workshop/retreat with heather ross. i'm hoping she does one next winter in palm springs. wouldn't that be fantastic? the thought of it as a possibly keeps me from going totally crazy, being cooped up with little kids all the time. she also has mother/daughter workshops that look really wonderful. maybe someday i will take gianna to one. i hope she is still hosting them when gianna is old enough to attend.

we had a mellow weekend with simple food and family time. gianna and i went to a bee festival where we rolled beeswax candles, enjoyed some live music, and took a tour of a charming school. i made a kale/bean/sausage soup that was really good, and i made popovers for the first time. they were really good, although i think they would have been better if i'd baked them in a popover pan, not a muffin tin.

dean is walking all over the house and is starting to join his sister in terrorizing our cat. he is also waving, clapping, and saying a few words. i'm hoping that now he has achieved all of these latest developmental milestones maybe he will begin sleeping better.

last night i got to sit and knit in front of the fire. i'm making a hot water bottle cover for anna. it's a belated birthday gift. hopefully i'll finish it before winter is over...