Embrace the Embracing

Here are a few last shots from our N.C. vacation. Dusk there is my favorite time of day and it's perfect for snuggling. A little patpat for Lil' Sis.

Embracing Dizzy.
And a little squench from the fella - the perfect trifecta to link up to Embrace the Camera. Check it out:



In other news...

The Pinafores Collection is complete! There are now 6 sweet Reversible Pinafores available in my shop. Here are the last two (my personal faves) (click on the photos to take you to the listing):

Woodland Whimsy

Lemon Love

Dear Baby Daughter,
Get here soon 'cause there are precious pinafores to be worn!
And 'cause you're poking me and making me fat.
All my love,
Your Mama.


In other other news:
Poor A-Boogie did not get in on the Embrace the Camera action today, but come back tomorrow for the Peek of the Week, featuring the wee Baby A. And fellow blogger, it'll be your chance to tell us about what's been cool about your week by linking up to the Peek of the Week linkup. Read here to get all the Peek of the Week deets.

Until then...

An Etsy Listravaganza!

I had an esty listing extravaganza yesterday.

Let me showcase for you all the newly available goodies!
Reversible Sun Hat - Piper's Purple Party (available here). This one was a special order for a friend, but it's so stinking cute I decided to make it available on etsy. Greens, purples, flowers, mushrooms, and snails. SNAILS!

And now for the pinafores. Pinafores are the new black you know - and I can't wait until I have a little gal to put one on.

And yes. My one-year-old son is modelling these. I was super conflicted because o.m.w. he's so darn cute in them! So, for a fleeting moment I decided I should make Manifores - you know, manly pinafores. But the internet assured me that there's no such thing. Alas.

So instead I had to go through and crop most of his face out of the photos like in the old-timey medical books where they blacked out the eyes on photos of kids with the mumps and stuff. Creepy.

All of these are available in sizes 6-12 months, 18 months, and 2T. And they're all reversible!
Click on any photo to take you to the etsy listing.


Delightful, no?

A Fabulous First

My mama heart almost exploded yesterday morning as my elder boy child participated in his first church performance. I figured they would just have the littlest kids come in for a cameo (I had only heard him practicing one song all week), but no, wee Eli and all his wee buddies were part of the whole VBS Sunday performance.

I burst.
He cheesed it up real good, and kept his eye on me most of the time, waving and blowing me kisses. I burst again.

Classic.

He and the little cutie beside him seemed to have made a pact not to move a muscle for large portions of the performance.

There's my boy.


And for your viewing enjoyment:

He had a little trouble migrating forward to center stage. A propensity for the spotlight, me thinks.

Some of his best moves:

Mama Loves.

He did amazingly well for being the youngest (I think, but for sure the shortest) VBS participant. And, to make his Mama extra proud he only flashed his full chest of tattoos 3 or 4 times, but once was during a prayer (I'm told), so that one doesn't count.

Just imagine - someday all three of my brood will be up there cutting monkey shines. The mind boggles.

The Giddy Gardener

It seems a green thumb skips a generation.
Yaya has always grown the most beautiful and yummy gardens. On one of the fella's first visits to my mom's house when we started dating, he was put to the test by being offered edible flowers from my mother's garden. Thankfully he passed. He ate the flowers.

Well it seems Dizzy has inherited her green thumb. He followers her dutifully around the yard watering, potting, feeding and picking all the goodies they have planted.

And upon our return from vacation he could not have been more thrilled that actual food had appeared. (Not that he would ever consider eating lettuce, but he did appreciate that we all ate the salad he grew and had just harvested).

Such a proud little farmer.

And no, it's not St. Patrick's Day. Just green-themed day at VBS.

Peek of the Week - June 24, 2011

You're fixin' to freak over this week's peek.


Our Friday feature - the Peek of the Week - is all about you! I want to hear (and share with my readers) what wowed you this week. It could be a cool finished project, a work in progress, a personal accomplishment, a cute kid moment, or something that surprised you.

If we could peek into your week - what would you want to show us?

Each week I'll share my own Peek of the Week to get the ball rolling, and invite you to link to your blog post about your Peek of the Week. I know y'all are up to cool stuff - we wanna see it!

Here's my peek:

A few weeks back one of my favorite blogs, Secondsister Suaviloquy shared a delectable pattern for a little gal's pinafore. She raved over how sweet and easy it was and she. was. right!

Beginning stitchers and novice seamstresses (I'm looking at you Sunny B) - this is your pattern. You will so easily make something so cute that you'll feel unstoppable at your machine.

I mean, just look:
I can. not. wait. until there are fat little arms sticking out from those armholes.

And that sweet back fat will be appropriately showcased.

So much potential for sweet embellishments - a little rick rack, some embroidery, appliques or flowers - and they're reversible to boot!

I mean could you just squeal?

I'm totally squealing.

Most of these are heading over to Fabric Bliss and will be available in my shop real soon. I'll let you know. I say most because it's so hard not to keep every piece of cute girlie gear for Lil' Sis. For sure the tiny one in the middle is for her, with a matching pair of bloomers that I'm still dreaming up. Oh the cuteness.

Do you have some cuteness to share? Fabulous, because now's your chance.
Here's how it works:
1. Each Friday I'll post my peek of the week, and give you space to link us up to yours.
2. Blog about your Peek of the Week - whatever it is. Whatever happened that made you proud, laugh, smile, inspired, excited, or just plain happy - now that's worth sharing.
3. Include a link to this blog or put the Peek of the Week button (on the sidebar) in your post.
4. Link your blog post using the InLinkz button below.

If you don't get a chance to get here on Friday, feel free to link your post up later.
The InLinkz button will be active for 5 days.

Embrace the Vaca

No vacation is complete without......a little couple time. We spent an entire day kid-free. We wandered downtown Asheville, ate at the Early Girl (hot diggety yum), got a pedicure, saw a movie, had dinner with friends and finished the day watching the sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Craggy Gardens. Perfecto.

...a little puking. Baby A woke up barfing one morning when we had a whole day of travels and playing planned (It was day two of Aunt Sharon and Uncle Bob's fun fest) so I was bummed. He was pitiful. But after three rounds of hurling (all on me), he had a miraculous turn around and we were able to make all our plans. Chuck and rally.

...a visit to prison.

Ok, not really. Dizzy got the brilliant idea to plaster the whole sheet of temporary tattoos on his chest. Classic. These are good quality tats. It's been over a week since he did that and they're not even beginning to fade. Those top two peek out of his shirt neckline. Great for Vacation Bible School this week. Plus he's super proud and shows them off to random strangers. All of them.

...some sweet sweet snuggles. Which were a'plenty.

Sending this post over to the Anderson Crew today for Embrace the Camera. You should check it out!

There are some areas where North Carolina has a leg up on our town (and a few where it has a leg down, admittedly). It's lush and green. It rains and there are amazing storms. A summer night there is hard to beat. And there are fire flies.

Fire flies are like magic to me, even still. I love sharing magic things with the boys.

Happiness is also...

Round two at Aunt Sharon and Uncle Bob's house/ranch/b&b (it's not really a b&b, but the hospitality they roll out always makes us feel like special guests. I wanna be like that when I grow up and get my pool, trampoline, backhoe, and tractor. You'll all be welcomed).
Amos contemplates the frog.
Eli can't find the frog.

Found it!







What fun.

Tomorrow...fireflies!

Happiness is...

...a tractor ride on a red dirt road.
I'm not sure which the boys enjoyed more - the week at the beach or the afternoon spent at our aunt and uncle's house where there is a pool, a trampoline (more on this later) a tractor, and a backhoe. Plus dogs and blueberries to pick and a bowl of cookies to sneak from.
Amos was amazed...

to a point.




Such fun, they should charge admission.