Fair sewing results

Woohoo! What a great day at the fair yesterday! We found out that all our sewing won ribbons! Dot's purse even won first prize in it's catetgory! Hooray!
We also spent a good amount of time looking at animals and collecting "treasures." Who doesn't want new pencils for school? And stickers? Posters for your wall? Lots and lots of coloring books?

another year older

Dot knows enough to make a big deal of her birthday. Jamie didn't, earlier this year, and was somewhat surprised about all the fuss being made by Dot. He still doesn't understand why he doesn't get birthday presents now, and why he doesn't get a party (which Dot isn't getting either, at least in the traditional sense). Oh well, he also has trouble with the whole idea of aging anyway. When talking about birthdays in the car, he found that he would be turning 5 on his next birthday. His response? "Oh, no! Not again!"







For Dot, we ate a summer meal of hamburgers and peel and eat shrimp, along with corn on the cob. Marble cake for dessert - which Jamie so eagerly helped to decorate. Later we will be going to Chuck-E-Cheese's, not for pizza - to play lots of games with a friend or two.
Presents included a previously loved American Girls doll (Samantha), some books, a very highly desired (and also previoulsy loved) study Bible, a few craft sets, and a dinosaur hat.

Fair sewing

My sewing entries for the fair are completed! Dot, on the other hand, has quite a bit left to do on her items. I'll post photos of them when she has them done. Here are mine:
a child's day dress











a child's two piece outfit











and shorts for the boy who wanted the striped pants (which he can't have because they are *girls* pants!).











These won't be entered in the fair, because I didn't get them registered. I didn't know I would be making them!
Also made, but unpictured, a pair of women's trousers.
I've never worked so hard on my sewing before. I finished every seam, and reinforced quite a few as well. This makes things look nicer - and keeps edges from fraying. In ready-to-wear, you have seams that are serged. I do not have a serger (they are still too pricey for me), so I have to go to a lot of extra effort to finish my seams. So much extra effort that I don't usually do it! Call me lazy, I don't mind.

Sick of summer... clothes?

Are you tired of wearing shorts and t-shirts? Are you ready for courduroy and wool? Perhaps the weather is not obliging - our temps are in the 90's for the rest of the week - but the fashion industry is touting it's fall lines, and the stores have back-to-school clothing on display. (They also have *halloween* candy out, but that's another rant entirely.) What is in store for the chic and trendy this fall? What was presented as "ready-to wear"? Apparently more of the figure destroying that has been out there recently. Yes, the "guaranteed to make you look pregnant" tops and dresses continue for this next season, but we also get this: the cropped menswear trouser.














Yes, even the super skinny models look hippy in these trousers. What hope is there for the rest of womankind?
Okay, so let's change things around, and put the volume on top: puffed sleeves.














These would make Anne of Green Gables jealous. Alrighty then, how about volume all around? And in a color most people run from:














So, jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt might just stay a staple in most people's closets. That's not to say that the designers made each collection a complete flop - there are some wearable items out there. And there's color! For more fashion shows, check out Style.com. The couture lines may make you laugh out loud!

Recycled tires

Did you play on old tires as a child? Our school playground had a circle of old tires planted in the ground, and we played there happily each recess. Someone decided that tires were breeding grounds for mosquitoes, though, and out went all the old tire playgrounds...










Happily there is a large tire playground at one of our state parks, and it is nearby! We went there Saturday morning, and spent over an hour playing. The kids love the tire swings and zipline more than anything else there, but they did climb and balance as well. They are excited to know that we will be using this park as part of homeschool - yes, playtime can be gym class, as long as they are getting good exercise.










Another great thing about this park - it is part of a larger chain of parks that follow the Patapsco river. Together they offer history, hiking, playgrounds, and camping. We have taken hikes at a few of the other parks, and did so at this one as well. The trail winds down the hill and follows a creek, where we hopped from rock to rock and watched a crawdad swim to safety under a rock. We watched a millipede cross the path, smoothly climbing over roots and stones. We walked away from the noise and busyness of the city, smiled at other hikers, and enjoyed a bit of nature together as a family. It's nice to escape every so often.

Lurking

I try not to spend too much time online - usually that is when the kids start to get into trouble. I suppose they aren't ready to be left alone... Because of this, I don't do a lot of surfing, finding new sites to explore. I stick to my regular few, and check my email. Every so often I will update this blog and head over to Facebook to check how things are going there.
However there is one site that I have found to be somewhat addictive. Craigslist has me wasting more time than any other site online. The "free" stuff gets me - it's amazing what people will give away! I've never gotten anything from the free listings, but I lurk there regularly.
What do you have in your house that is worth posting for "free"?