All Moved! And End of Year Teacher's Gifts

We're all moved to the west coast now!  The kids haven't started school yet so it still feels like an extended vacation.  Nice weather, visitors, and even a side trip to Las Vegas for Calvin and I.  This summer has been busy, if a little scrambled.

We're in our house now and enjoying being settled and finally knowing where most of our belongings are (we never found the silverware tray though!)

The end of school was insane.  I was on the phone several times per day talking to moving people at one point.  I did manage to finish some teachers gifts that I was excited to give them.

Fabric Boxes!  This one was for Landon's teacher.  

I picked up the pattern at our local quilt shop.  It wasn't the easiest to follow or to sew.  I do love the results. The fabric was all from my stash.  I did buy this very stiff insert material to keep the sides and bottom flat and upright.

The binding had to be all hand sewn like a quilt is around the edges.

This one was for Etame's teacher.  I adored both of their teachers this year.  Making them something is my way of telling them I appreciate them.  I hope they felt that sentiment.

The boxes have zipper pockets on each long side on the outside and then pouches on the inside to hold pens, pencils, and scissors. This fabric was also from my stash.  I need to do more smallish projects like this to use my stash!

Appropriate for a teacher, no?

As stressful the end of the school year can be, I just love to complete these types of projects.  Etame even has her own label!  hee-hee.

Now, onto new schools and new teachers starting after Labor Day!

Goodbyes are Hard

We've been doing a great deal of goodbye-ing here.  It's nice to know friends care enough to send us off wrapped in love and good thoughts.

This is my fabulous group of playgroup friends.  Lately, we've managed to meet more without the kids and have enjoyed having full conversations that we once were unable to do.  We pretty much all met through (the best) kids music class, in Baltimore and have been friends and our kids have been friends for several years now.  We've had baby showers for one another and been through adoptions, moves, and many gathers.  I have been really truly blessed to have these strong and supportive women in my life.

Tosca really enjoyed herself at Etame's end of school picnic.  She enjoys herself pretty much anywhere people are.  I dressed them alike in the dresses I got at Petit Bateau while in Paris.  It's one of my favorite children's clothing brands.  Simple with little detailed such as the white buttons on the bodice with yellow stitching and embroidered "x"s in the middle.

I have absolutely loved Etame's preschool.  There's a sweetness about it, how nurturing they are to the children and kind and teaching them how to be king themselves.  It's everything a preschool should be.  I worry about finding that when we move.

Here's Etame with her good friend.  She will miss all the friendships she has kindled in her world.  It really is hard to say goodbye.

Yes another dress for my little girl

Etame calls this her apron dress.  It's a bit fancy for the name, and for where I'll let her wear it (no playing in the dirt with new article of clothing I make!).    I have been sewing this dress up for about a year.  Yep, procrastination, distraction, general ADD, it all contributes to the fact that I have more projects than time to complete them.  But that just makes it all the more rewarding when I finish one right?!

I tried to use as many fabrics as possible from my stash, which in this case included a men's dress shirt that I picked up at Goodwill for Calvin.  He didn't like the fit but I love the fabric quality and colors (the main bodice one - blue with pink stripes). 

I like to recycle, what can I say?  It must be the Oregon that comes out in me.  I still am infatuated with the simple tied patchwork quilt that my nana made with old (70's polyester) fabrics.  I wonder what clothes she made them out of and who wore them.  It seems to have more meaning to me than fabric that came from JoAnn's.  But the coordinating fabrics did come from there.  :-)

I added a lace bottom trim that reminds me of a detail from my childhood, ribbon strung through the eyes of the lace.  Sweet.  The one thing about this style of dress is it was super difficult to find and decide on coordinating fabrics!  I suppose you could simplify and use only a couple but I like the end effect and Etame seems to also.  She wouldn't hold still and kept throwing her hands up in the air.  Sweet dress for a sweet girl.

Pillows!

Recently, I made a few pillows for our fabulous neighbors.  She picked out the fabric which is a beautiful swirly crewel work (anyone familiar with crewel?) in a floral pattern.  I made the cording and sewed up three pillows for her to use in her dining room.  I was pleased with the result, and have more confidence in cording.

Our neighbor seemed thrilled to have them.  She had her chairs covered in the same fabric one pillow
sits on each chair to the side of her table.  It's rewarding to finish a custom project like this and also such a relief to complete as you never know how it will turn out.  I'm such a procrastinator too that I wait until I have a definitive deadline to complete it.  Then I finish it in a couple days.  It drives my mom nuts as I am always telling her all the projects I have going on.  Too many!

I see London, I see France...

I had the amazing opportunity to go with all my sisters and our mom to London and Paris!

We toured hard - each day we were out the door at 8ish and not back until at least 9 at night.  One night in Paris we actually stayed up til 2am.  Then we all came back to the states and either hit a wall or got sick.  But we made the most of it while we were there!

Shopping at Liberty of London - a must stop for those that love that floral Tana Lawn fabric that they are known for.  The fabric was almost half the price that I could get here in the states.  It was magnificent.  A dream for a sewer.  Here's the outside of the department store.  The whole building was a site in itself.  Traditional English Tudor.  "Lovely" as we are now saying every other word.  That and "rubbish" and "bullocks".  I'm not sure which is just slang and which is swearing.  Better be careful I suppose.

We saw so many sites:  Tea at L'Orangerie in Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Picadilly Square, Portrait Museum, Trafalgar Square, The London Museum, The Foundling Museum, Kensington Palace to see Princess Di's dresses, London Tower, The Eye, London Bridge, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, British War Museum, and even managed to see a musical - We Will Rock You, with music from Queen.

After 5 nights in London, we were on our way to Paris for 3 more nights.   

We just happened upon Michel Cluizel chocolates and Calvin and I had stopped at their store in NYC on 5th Avenue at Christmas.  I had to bring back some chocolates for him.  They are that good.

At the top of Arc de Triomphe.  We went nonstop in Paris too, but we had time to stop for crepes often and their fabulous French pastries.  Amber even bought a baguette as a prop.  At first no one was allowed to eat it as it was for looks only but that didn't last long.  We each had a taste.  The food quality there was so far above our expectations as Americans.  Nobody was eating while walking, on the subway, or ordering take out that I noticed.  Most people weren't eating at all actually - just smoking and drinking.  Maybe that's their secret!

 We waited in line at the Eiffel Tower for a couple hours.  It was insane but we made it fun by making up stories about all the people who were going in the express VIP dining line.  Then we did get some excitement when security heightened and bodyguards and drivers got out of two black cars.  A few people emerged and we were still speculating as to who they were.  We had no clue but the people behind us in line were from Brazil and filled us in that he was a major soap opera star there.  I can't remember his name and was just nearly traumatized googling "soap opera star Brazil" when a X rated site popped up.  So anyhow, he was very very good looking and it was fun to have some entertainment while we waiting in the "commoners" line.

This is one of my favorite pictures, the view from our hotel room.  Notre Dame out one side and the Eiffel Tower was out the other window.  The muted colors here are mimicked in all their clothes.  A nice palate for kids wear as well, with little crafted details in their clothing.

We truly had a great trip.  Lots of good uninterrupted conversations, advice, and quality togetherness.

Amber introduced a nice tradition that she does in her family where on the last night, we each fill out a series of questions such as "What was your favorite church", "Best food", "Worst food".  We went around the room each telling our answers.  What a nice way to wrap up a trip, by reflecting upon it and seeing what was important to each person.  It was most interesting to me to see how it wasn't usually the things we saw that were memorable or touching.  It was the small moments, the food we ate, and the places we happened upon that left the most impact.  Something to remember for our future vacations.  You certainly can't plan those moments, just as you can't predict which lessons you will learn about yourself.  I learned that I could walk farther, stay out later, and go longer before a meal that I ever thought possible.  A good lesson indeed.