Our House in the Middle of Our Street

I wound up doing a lot more sewing for Anikka this past week because not only are there a lot more patterns for girls' clothes, I really needed to add some bloomers to her wardrobe. Currently she has one pair that she wears over her diaper at bedtime...and that's it. She is such a heat-box, just like me, that if we dress her in regular pajamas she winds up sweating and uncomfortable. Not only that but they are handy for under dresses, too, and a lot of the dresses we have don't come with them. I love these cute little things. I love the prints, and I love how they fit her--perfectly. Again, another Lotta pattern, these weren't as simple as the book made them out to be. Jansdotter doesn't have many diagrams in her book and I work and learn visually, so that was a bit of a problem with the homemade bias that is supposed to be hidden inside...er...what?! The pair underneath, if you look closely, has it on the outside, and it crinkles a bit more. By the second try, I h...

The past week since my kids were at VBS Monday through Friday mornings, I had plenty of time to run errands, do some baking, and to learn to sew kids' clothes. I have made a number of things for my kids before, but I've never sat down to actually think about formation of clothes are put together. Kind of a big goal, I suppose, but I had the drive, and I had the free time to sit down, without distraction, and try it out. I was able to make about 7 items to completion and 2 more almost finished, which you'll see tomorrow. I used Lotta Jansdotter Simp le Sewing for Babies book and tweaked her pattern a bit by adding a ton of length for my 4 year old. The first pants, although they are adorable and are the most 'nicely done' of the three pair, turned out fairly short. These make excellent 'beach' pants, especially with the sailboat print, and would look adorable with a nice cream or blue sweater. (Another Lotta project here .) These, although long enough, were...

Oh.my.holey.moley. This year has been unseasonably humid and hot. The heat index (what it actually FEELS like) have been in triple digits for weeks. I am an outdoor person, but being as I'm such a cranky baby when it comes to heat (insert me: here ), I stay in as much as I can. I've got one week left until our mountain vacation in cool weather, so here is adding insult to injury for you weirdos who happen to like summer. Did I mention IT'S HOT out there? :) Source: flickr.com via Laura on Pinterest Source: soldesignco.com via Tanya on Pinterest Source: nbc4i.com via Kasey on Pinterest Source: farm1.static.flickr.com via Amanda on Pinterest Source: bleachblack.com via Annica on Pinterest (10 points for whoever can guess how that's related...twice!) Source: flickr.com via Jenni on Pinterest

picture taken by Oma. Join in the fun.

Source: scrapstudio.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest It's been a fun week so far as my children have been at a VBS each morning from about 8:30-12:30. I've gotten a lot of sewing done, some new skills learned, and so many inspiring things on the brain to make...no thanks to Pinterest . I had planned on having a full week of blogging but not only did the time get away from me, but my chosen topics just aren't as cool as the ones I'm brainstorming in my head. I'll be back tomorrow with a {This Moment} photo, and lots of fun sewing related things next week! Have a good weekend.

photocredit Ever since I read and raved about Last Child in the Woods to my nature-loving friends, I have awaited what would next come from Richard Louv. Louv coined the term, " nature-deficit disorder ", a term that has come to be some what common in parenting and news culture. It's the term for this idea that our children and the current generation is staying indoors more, connecting with nature less, and has spun out of control adding to the obesity among children epidemic, ADHD and other behavioral challenges, a lack of care for the environment and a consumer mindset. Of course these are just the trickle down effect of a larger culture, and pieces of many pies, but his term has become so important that many new schools of thought have been created in the past number of years to try and deal with this issue. Have you seen community gardens around town? A school that has instituted the children work outside with compost and crops? More people joining local CSAs and a hi...

I'm enjoying a quiet week this week. Both children are gone at a VBS camp this week and from roughly 8-12 every morning I have a quiet house, a humming sewing machine, and a few good books to catch up on. Refreshing, and of course, quiet. I'm savoring my solitude. Source: umla.tumblr.com via Spirit on Pinterest Source: google.com via Karyn on Pinterest Source: ysvoice.tumblr.com via Baca on Pinterest Source: flickr.com via Rachel on Pinterest Source: jellysundae.tumblr.com via Source: etsy.com via Charissa on Pinterest

Join the fun.

Plenty of room to run around. Old time toys. A kiddie pool. Space to run. Here's our 4th of July in pictures.

photocredit When I heard that Tina Fey had a book coming out and this was the first chapter I read, I quickly went over to my local library's website to put my name down to hold it. I was number 64. Other than the Harry Potter phenomenon, I'd never been that late to the game. However, to my surprise, the 63 people in front of me were very fast readers. I had it within two weeks. (A miracle being as I'm STILL waiting for Mad Men from my January listing at number 36 ! Not that I'm bitter and impatient...) This book is not really a memoir, it's more of a collection of humorous stories--chapters (ha)--in her life that begin with being small and ending with 30 Rock Season ___. I don't often read comedic stories, but I am a huge fan of David Sedaris (but to be clear, the older David Sedaris, his new stuff is a little bland for my taste) and I love to laugh out loud when reading a book. Especially in public. This book is hilarious and very conversationalist. If you...

A couple of weeks ago we took a trip up to the Omaha zoo with Oma, Aunty K, cousin R, and R's Grammy. It was a lot of fun and I only wish there had been more time in the morning, since we only saw a small fraction of what Henry Doorly has to offer. It was a beautiful day to go, too, since we've had a lot of heat and humidity, and if I remember correctly, it didn't even start to get hot until around lunch-time. Here are a few pictures from our trip. Here is Anikka getting right next to the polar bear. Poor guy, I always feel bad for the animals who are from a totally different climate. I bet he was so hot! She sure enjoyed seeing him up close, though. It looks like a cub, but the angle of the camera is off. He was quite enormous! This is in the Desert Dome exhibit, which is above the Kingdoms of the Night. Both are very neat, but the desert exhibit is much more 'up close and personal' and Lukka was literally a foot or two away from that sweet duck. This is also a...

Love all these nooks and crannies. Color palettes, coziness, inspiration for around our own house. Hammocks, porches, quilts. Here's a little bit of me for you. Source: tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: soulemama.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: kellymccaleb.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: thebridescafe.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: havenspie.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest Source: houseofturquoise.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I know you thought that stink-face was from me. Guess again. Stinkin' tea party. Join the fun.

Source: therottenones.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest We've had a very busy week and although I had planned on blogging, the time has just gotten away from me. I'll be back tomorrow with a regular {This Moment} photo, and than back to everyday blogging next week including fun Omaha Zoo and 4th of July photos, a couple of book reviews, and some linky love, too in the next couple of weeks. As for this week, we're enjoying the water to counteract the humidity we can't ever get away from in July. Have a good week!

If you haven't guessed from the title, this month of the year is PEACH season. This next month I plan to make at least two trips out to Sunwest farm , that grows the most delicious sunny peaches this side of the Mississippi (or rather, this side of Lancaster County). The give you the option of U-Pick or of just buying the bags right in their general store area along with other produce. They might be a bit higher of a price than your local big-box grocer, but these taste so much more delicious: sweeter and juicier. Source: etsy.com via Kara on Pinterest Source: etsy.com via Tracy on Pinterest ( art cred ) Source: tarteletteblog.com via Julie on Pinterest Source: allposters.com via Melissa on Pinterest Source: stylemepretty.com via Hege on Pinterest Source: cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com via Anne-Michelle on Pinterest

Who knew a lemon kolache could be so fun? { Join } the fun.