Going to Try Again

It has been 12 years since I closed my dance school.  I don't regret it, nor do I miss many of the aspects of having it.  However,  I do long for the creativity that comes along with choreography, teaching and performances.  Of course, I miss many of the students (I do keep in touch with quite a few of them), but the things I loved about it did not outweigh the burden of running a business. 

 I am so happy to have it as part of my past...in a good way.   Which leads me to...

Sewing. 

I was in desperate need of twirly skirts with color underneath for a piece called "Russian Dervish".  The problem...no budget and I really didn't feel comfortable in asking a parent who could sew for an undertaking like this (I kept favors to a minimum as you never knew when you REALLY needed one!).

So, I bought a sewing machine.  I took some sort of class in it when I was in middle school, but all that was gone from my memory.  I read the manual and went to it.  I made them and the girls loved them...but....I made things that looked stunning from a distance, however I am afraid anyone else with a sewing machine would have laughed...perhaps hysterically.  I made many props, costumes, back drops, etc. in such a fashion.  Duct tape, staples, pins, etc...were favorites.  I usually threw them out at the end :)  Oh the days of sitting at the studio til the wee hours...sewing, gluing and paper macheing (is that a word?).  

I sold the sewing machine when I moved to Alaska, 

BUT NOW I WANT TO LEARN TO SEW...the right way.

Amelia has inspired me.

She received a few sets of sewing cards and just loves them!

Each morning she plops herself on the couch with her sewing cards, pulling her head up to glance at the tv from time to time, then back to the task at hand...she does this for quite some time. I had purchased a little crochet kit of a musk ox when we were in Fairbanks last summer, thinking someday I will do it.  I had to dig it out and start along with her.  Which inspired me to pull out my grandmother's linens...all crotched by her.  

And lately getting hooked and watching all 3 seasons of "Downton Abbey", I noticed a lot of crocheting going on...what would you do in place of the ipad or tv?...apparently crochet! 

I have 2 pieces hung and framed that I have kept and loved for years.  One I believe is my grandmother's doing as my mom had it up in the kitchen on a wooden dowel.  It was too frayed and delicate to do so again...so I opted to frame it instead.

Another was in a box of my grandmother's things.   ABC's crocheted by my great great grandmother. My mother in law spotted the name (Helme) on the bottom during a visit that I never noticed before1  It is very old and worn, so all I did was unfold and frame...displayed out of direct sun.

So...I asked that husband of mine... all I want is a sewing machine.  I think I'll get one :)  

Planting Seeds

We planted a few small pots previously, but this past weekend we got down to business.  A tray for flowers, a pot for  sunflowers (have never tried those before) and a tray plus two large pots of lettuce, peas, basil and chives (all tried and true).  We still have quite a bit of snow out there, however Amelia and I figured we better get the seeds growing so come June we will be ready!  Maybe the snow will be gone by then. :)

We water and check progress daily.  "MOM! THEY ARE GROWING!" shouted each morning..."They need water".  

And so she goes.

During a long nap of Amelia's I made a few garden posts to keep everything well labeled...

and to go along with these heart clips that Amelia put on the pots she painted.

Will post on our progress! 

Besides the planting, we did a morning of all our Little People toys...it was quite the village, complete with zoo, farm, castle and house.  She can amuse herself for hours and the weather in the mornings is still a bit chilly, so we wait til afternoons for our adventures outside (I am not even going to mention that it is snowing AGAIN as I type).

There is usually a dance performance right after breakfast or a garden walk where one needs a hat, gloves, scarf and of course a purse to walk around the house and look at plants and say how beautiful they are.  

Though Sunday was a dance performance.

Amelia at Three

Quick post on a project I did and will do each year.

Got the idea from Pinterest of course, but added a bit of glam thru power point. 

  

She answered all the questions on her own with a bit of help on favorite restaurant, as she had no idea what that was :)
Could change or add/delete questions thru the years.
Pretty cute I think!

Quiet Time

There is nothing worse than a sick kid and Amelia has had her share this past few months.  First getting a stomach bug on Valentine's Day, then a cold at the end of March and now a fever beginning last Saturday...getting better only to have the fever come back on Friday.  She is better today and trying to keep her doing quiet things is a always a challenge. Apparently everything is attacking her at once ... she was pretty much sick free for 3 years.

Thank goodness she likes books.  
Her Amazon Wish list attests to that :) Ok, ok...I am sure I have a lot to do with her book obsession.  
Like mother like daughter.

When the fever comes on she lies on the couch, but once the tylenol takes control she is up and wants to bounce around...

Making a reindeer out of her rocking horse, Pinto.

Made a spyglass out of paper towel rolls.

Playing ponies..

We had back to back snowstorms on the onset of her getting this bug ... still looks like winter here.

"Let's play babies" she says.

Quite the Mommy

And a bit of silliness.  
Her appetite never left her thank goodness.

Here is to a healthy start of a new week.

Spring and Snow

For a few days we believed it was Spring.

It began like this...sans snow pants...

with a bike and a dream of Spring to come.

It progressed to this...

with a puddle and a prayer.

And graduated to this...

breaking out the sandbox and mud walks down the path.  Three days of these daily walks with Amelia looking for pony prints and I  looking for bear ones :)

Until today.

We have 4 or so inches of snow outside and it continues.

Amelia and I are protesting and not going out to play.

Forgot for a moment we live in Alaska.  

Very well... I shall continue with a post about snow and snowmen.  

Once upon a time we loved snow...

We went sledding daily...

We  made snow angels.

We frolicked in it.

We built snowman after snowman...

until we could build only one more...

Oh dear Spring, please come back, we miss you so...

Easter

Her reaction to my saying: "Do you realize tomorrow the Easter Bunny comes?!"

We dyed more Easter eggs.

 Egg Salad!

We made plans for Easter at a friends house so we had our Easter Dinner Saturday night complete with Ham, Mac and Cheese, Biscuits and Asparagus.  Besides the Asparagus...all  are Amelia's favorites.

Easter Morning:

She was certainly excited to find goodies in the eggs she found and of course, this basket at the top of the stairs...especially the Merda doll and Angus horse.   

Ready for Easter Dinner with friends.