a Coloring We Will Go

I know it's kind of a far-away photo, but I have finished the coloring bags, and here they are! The more boyish ones are on top and the girlish ones underneath here. Several can go either way. They were really fun to make and I love choosing the fabric combos. Especially for something for children; you can hardly go wrong. Time to move on to women's purses! Hello September.

Here are my precious girls today. It was cold this morning; felt like fall. Anna wore her dress with a shirt underneath and leggings. I thought she was so adorable. I wanted to show this dress again because I said it was Linda Stubbs fabric but it actually was designed by her daughter Tressa when she was pretty small. How cool is that? Oh and you get to see my pantry which is oh-so-organized (not).

Love to all, Melissa

Rainbow Bright

And God said . . ."I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:12-13


Good morning to us! Look what was in our sky this morning. I don't remember ever seeing a rainbow in the west before. Every time I see one I remember God's promise.


What was picked fromthe garden TODAY!
I made pickles for the first time ever. We won't know how they came out for six weeks, though. These are dill and I have plans to make sweet pickles still. Oh, and my shelf isn't crooked but my camera sure was!

I have made lots of wallets in anticipation of a big show at the end of September. But now I am doing two shows! My sister-in-law's mom has a show called the Pumpkin Patch. I hesitated about it because they are only six days apart and this one is first. But then Todd reminded me that a sale is a sale and I got the point. These wallets button.
These wallets snap.
And these wallets zip. All will be on sale at Whimmydiddle and the Pumpkin Patch for $11. Thanks to Amanda, who I bought a similar wallet from on Etsy for the idea for the button ones.
I feel like all I've done is sew lately. It will probably only get worse. But no matter what the future holds, I'm grateful for the chance to do this now. October is calling my name, though. No scheduled sewing!!!! I'm ready for a break.
Love, Melissa

Emilie on the Wall

I need a new picture of Emilie to hang on my wall. I always love two year old looks, so I hang the kids up at this age. Anyway, I got busy with the camera tonight, and I need some votes for which one to choose. I'll number them to make it easy.

I've been making lots of new things, but they're upstairs and so are my sleeping kids. I'll try to photograph them and get them up soon. So much to do, so little time.

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For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:3-5

Lots of love,

Melissa

The harvest is plenty, but laborers are few.Matthew 9:37

As much as I'd like to leave up the pictures of Anna's clothes for a long time, I guess it's time to move on. I spent the last two days making checkbook covers and dealing with tomatoes. Whew, the tomatoes. I still need to deal with zucchini; I think I'll make lots of zucchini bread. So along with another gallon of salsa, I canned marinara sauce.

Nathan had his first day of kindergarden. I teared up but managed to hold it together until I got into the car. Here he is with his teacher and already he loves it. I always loved school, so hopefully he will too.

Love, Melissa

the Big Reveal

Well, here are Anna's preschool clothes, hot off the sewing machine. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves except to tell you the fabric and the pattern. Enjoy, she is! By the way, she loves pink. I know it all looks like spring, but that is what she likes. These will all work for fall and winter by adding a long-sleeved shirt and leggings. (my local fabric store lady told me she hopes these still fit in the spring!)

Cuppy Cake by Pink Fig patterns. Fabrics are cupcake lines by Michael Miller, Robert Kaufman and Timeless Treasures with some Anna Maria Horner chocolate lollipop mixed in.

My friend, Linda Stubbs fabric (link). Pattern loosely based on New Look 6577.

The Mia Top by Pink Fig Patterns in Anna Griffin fabric and Heather Bailey sleeves.

Memory Lane Sundress (pattern bought on Etsy) in fabric from my local quilt shop. I think it's discontinued, but so cute with words like laugh, play, sing, smile and also handkerchief looking squares. Just enough to make two cute dresses.

Little Girls Patchwork Skirt by Polkadot Chair (instructions for owl applique too) on Moda Bake Shop. Just type in skirt when you get there.

Well, that's school clothes for you. I'm ready to get back to my Whimmydiddle work.

Love, Melissa

Join This!

Just a short post to tell you about Sarah's spa swap. You join to send a few spa items to your partner and then you receive them too! How fun! Click the button to particpate.
Love, Melissa

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run then in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

I finally have something to show you, and it's not even mine. Mom's first block of the month quilt is finished. I picked it up from the quilter, so I have it to show until Mom comes for a visit. Isn't it beautiful? Thank you for the lovely quilting, Carol Ann. This quilt has the same blocks as my block of the month. (link) They don't look a whole lot alike do they? Different colorways, different settings. It's amazing what you can do with a set of blocks.

Yesterday, we took our kids to Prairie Dog Town in Oakley, only twenty miles from here. It's a yearly favorite. They have lots of native animals (foxen, raccoons, rattlesnakes, badgers, bobcats, etc), birds (pheasants, peacocks, quail), farm animals including buffalo, and, of course, prairie dogs running wild everywhere. Anna desperately wanted to catch one. Of course, they're used to kids trying to get them and steer clear. They even give you biscuits to feed the animals that are tamer like the sheep and goats. It was fun for them.

Hope this finds everyone well. If you have a heart for praying, please include my little brother Wyatt. He went to college today and collapsed in the shower at my brother's house before he got there. He is now in the hospital with pneumonia. What a way to start college!

Love, Melissa

From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3




Hello! Have you missed me? I have missed the release I get from blogging. But the most terrible thing happened to me this week (not really) . . . I lost my camera! I've been looking for it since last Friday. And since it's now Thursday, that means it has almost been a week. But I found it today. Rather, I should say that I begged God to show me where it is, and He did (in a side compartment of the trunk of our Ford Freestyle.) I was about to go buy a different one because Nathan starts school next week and I'm unwilling to miss photos of the first day of kindergarten. But, hooray, it's back. When I said, "Yay!!!", Emilie starting dancing and clapping. It was so cute.

I don't have much to show you on the sewing front, since I'm STILL working on Anna's school clothes, but I did make salsa a couple of days ago. We have tomatoes coming out our ears. In fact, the ones in the photo are all from one day. I'm not complaining; we love salsa.

Well it feels good to be back.

Take care.

Love, Melissa

a Long Time Ago

We are at my parents' house this weekend cleaning out their basement (my dad's birthday present.) My mom found this old picture. Me by one of my first quilts. It was all embroidery. I can't remember for sure, but I think I was 13. It's in the blood. We're exhausted, but I found a couple of pictures of Nathan and Anna right after Anna was born. I guess that would make it four years ago. How time flies. It seems like yesterday.
Love, Melissa

the Last of the Aprons . . . for Now

Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong. Abraham Lincoln

I never thought of Anna as the tomboy type. So girly. She loves pink, curls, lace, makeup and hairbows. But the last few days, she is absolutely enamored with toads. She keeps catching them and putting them in jars or in her pockets. She sneaks them into the house and I keep telling her to put them outside where they're happy. I'm taking a few days off of my Whimmydiddle quest to make her school clothes. I will show them all together when I'm done. You do get a peek of a dress with her holding the toad.

So here are the last two aprons. I have a zillion others in my head but am stopping to work on other things. Still to do: 20 activity bags, 20 checkbook covers, 20 headbands, 20 wallets/ coin purses, and as many bags as I can get done before September 26. I may lose my mind before then!

I made myself a shirt out of some beautiful green fabric I found. It is so pretty and silky but really unforgiving about ripping out anything. After working on it really hard, I looked at my finished project and saw that I had sewn on the collar upside down! It had really complicated sleeves, but I took my rotary cutter and just zipped the whole top off right under the sleeves. Then I made a band and two straps. I made a tank top. Well I was really happy until I tried it on. After all that, it was too small. Sometimes you just have to laugh. So I'm giving it to my sister who is having a birthday this month. If you're reading, Julie, I hope you like it (and I hope it fits you.)

Love, Melissa

for the Kitchen Help

Otherwise known as your children. I can't enter the kitchen these days without everyone wanting to put on an apron. It could be to butter toast. My sister says the same thing. I guess that's what happens when you are making lots of aprons! Speaking of that, it is August, and I'm about to finish up the aprons. Hopefully tomorrow. All that's left is one for a little boy and one adult. I've lost count in case you're wondering how many I've made. It has to be well into the 30s though. I'll count them the next time I go to the store. And maybe take some pictures of our store too.

This one is for a bigger girl.

We've been so busy this week. Of course it's our fair week. Nathan and Emilie participated in the pedal tractor pull.



And Nathan won! We didn't know until it was over and my brother-in-law told us. Now he gets to go to the state fair in September. What an adventure!


We also rode lots of rides.



And by "we" I mean Todd and the kids. I'm notorious for getting sick on anything that goes up and down or around. It could be a car, airplane, bus, boat or definitely a fair ride. I just got pictures of the girls on the little rides but we had big ones too. I think it's really impressive for such a small community to have a great hometown carnival.

Today we went to Bird City to the annual Antique Engine and Thresher Show (link).



These train looking things are actually steam powered tractors. Can you imagine? It must have been so loud and hot back then. It was such an impressive show. On the way home, we stopped in the tiny town of McDonald (which has no McDonalds by the way). They have a fabric store called Mona's. All the fabric was $4.50 a yard! You kind of had to dig through it, but it was totally worth the stop.

And here is Carmen's bag from my drawing last month. She mentioned that she likes brown and pink and I immediately thought of this Tina Givens' fabric, which is brown polka dot with tiny pink birds. I pray that she likes it.

Take care everyone.
Love, Melissa