A day at home

The morning today was terrible.  Cancelled our plans and my goal was to figure out how to turn things around. If we can forget the morning even happened, then I will give the day a 10/10! I think sometimes slowing down is just what is needed.

I think a puppy pileup started the shift in our day.

Adrian spent his day cheerfully getting down to business around here. He did SO MUCH.  A bunch of flower arrangements, vacuuming, helped me garden, preserved the rhubarb, line dried two loads of laundry, folded and put it away. He just did everything!  I didn't even ask! He is such a joy!

The girls played old fashioned for a good chunk of the day.  I have no idea what they are playing, but they are serious.

They also grabbed my phone and Audra found a filter to take 'old fashioned' photos.

I had a delightful day of flowers and plants!  I'll do a garden update soon. Lots of things sprucing up.

We were pretty much outside all day, but I surprised them with a dinner time show.  I interlibrary loaned the original Mickey Mouse cartoons. They loved them. 

After night time books, I walked a quick walk and came home to a glorious sunset at my favorite place in the world...home sweet home.  

Flowers

 I get a steady stream of fresh bouquets from this one.  She loves all the stages, planting, watering, picking. She likes to know the names of everything and she remembers the names of them all too. "Oh, that Creeping Charlie is always getting in the way!"  She loves her flowers, just like her mama.

Mama Made: :Dresses/nightgowns

 The warm weather steered Audra to get out her old sleeveless summer nightgowns that I made last year and the year before.  She was devastated that they didn't fit. Devastated isn't an exaggeration.  So after she went to bed, I was up all hours of the night working on a solution. 

Solution #1: I whipped this knit up.  It's an Ottobre pattern, my first Ottobre.  Super quick (although you really need to know how to sew with their patterns. There are no directions, just pattern pieces). She loves the fit and says it's so comfortable. 

Solution #2: I found this dress below in the free bin. The fabric is so light and soft. The elastic was completely gone in the dress, but the blue fabric was worth making something out of.

Before:

After: She has hardly taken it off!  (Although she usually doesn't wear a shirt under it.  I ripped out the lace, disposed of the elastic and stitched the lace on the bottom. I added a casing for elastic on the top and bottom of the dress and added straps.  She loves the lace bottom and decided it would be good as a shift under her old fashioned dresses. 

Three cheers

 Three cheers for today: 

1) A successful intro to 4-H event at our home. I love when the fields are full. 

2) My 'helper' and answered prayers whenever he doesn't run over something important. 

3) Her very focused mothering (above) and homebuilding (below).  This is exactly how I played when I was small. 

The small things bring so much joy.

Slow days

It seems that we have been so fast pace lately, nice turn for this afternoon to be a slow afternoon. 10/10. 

May in Maine Ocean Swim

 It's May in Maine and Adrian asserts the girls are crazy. 

Took Audra seconds before she was riding the waves. Can you see her?

Adrian's wetsuit is actually long sleeved and long pants.  He's not going in, even with a wetsuit.

These girls are living their best life.

"Wash and water and cook"

 The girls have been into their old fashioned ways lately!  Lots of mama mades! And I absolutely love it! Only next time I hope Anna-Kate decides to forage for a meal that it's not my newly sprouted green beans.