on the longest day of the year…

One thing I love about our church is the program of Family Home Evening. Every Monday evening we are encouraged to gather our families together to sing, pray, have a lesson, do something fun together, and eat yummy treats. In our family we rotate who is in charge of each thing, so the kids get to teach lessons, choose songs, plan activities, and make treats.

Last night Jonah was in charge of the activity, and with it being the summer solstice he decided we needed to swim until sunset.

So we did.

We built sandcastles.

Hunter learned a new word.

Goose, goooooooose…

After a hot day the air had cooled off, but the water was pretty warm. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

I am so thankful for this tradition we so faithfully keep in our family. Gathering 5 little ones around the piano after dinner clean-up (and all the prodding and nagging that often entails) does not always feel like the fun, or sane, thing to do after a busy Monday. Often the treat is a hurried Tupperware full of “shaker pudding” (instant Jello pudding dumped with milk into a Tupperware and shook, shook, shook by the child in charge of treat) or graham crackers dipped in milk, but by the time we have sung together, by the time a little person has taught their lesson and shared a heart felt testimony about their love for the Savior, by the time we’ve finished honoring a child’s wish to jump on the trampoline all together or play a game of Bananagrams we go to bed happier than we could have imagined in those harried minutes of wrangling.

It’s a miracle in the making…

one week at a time.

Happy Father’s Day!

Is it any wonder that Hunter’s first word, after bird, was Daddy? He does have the best Daddy in the world. I am so proud to be on his team. He makes life fun and beautiful and joyful, this husband of mine. He is a model of patience and love. I want to be like him when I grow up.

We adore you, Barry! Happy Father’s Day!

And happy Father’s Day to all of the Papas and Grandpas and Uncles out there too. My life is full of wonderful men. I love you all!

the printed one

When I made this little batch of shirts for Hunter, Logan was insistent that he knew exactly what needed to be printed on this one, so I did what I could to make his vision a reality. We got out my dusty gocco printer and the fabric inks, and just like that we were done. It was one of those projects that made me wonder why I don’t do it more often– it was so quick and painless and made my Logan so happy and proud.

It is a rare thing to have something so potentially messy go so smoothly, but it sure is a happy day when things work out. I think with a big brood of small people the more spontaneous projects are the ones that end the best. For me, at least, when i plan and prepare I have way too much invested in the outcome to be adequately relaxed, patient and kind about the process. Does this ring true for anyone else? I need to somehow find a happy medium between the spontaneous and the planned so that there can be more happy collaboration between the kids and I. How do you guys plan happy creative projects with your kids?

another shirt for the bub and how I bound it

I made a couple more shirts for Hunter and just totally love them. While I was at it I thought I’d show you how I put the binding on them because all of the tutorials and instructions I’ve seen make it way more complicated that I think it needs to be. Instead of sewing it on then folding it over and sewing it all again, I make double fold tape, sandwich the edge to be bound inside of it, and sew it on all at once.

First I cut my binding fabric into a 2 inch wide strip with the stretch going along the length of the strip. Then I get out my handy dandy tool to press the edges of my strip into the center to make my binding tape. (I have a super cheap Dritz 1″ tape maker, but it looks like they don’t make them anymore. Clover does, though, and they’ve got cute colors on them.)

Then it’s ready to be sewn onto my project. With the folded side up I just line up the edge of the fabric that I’m going to bind with the fold on the left,

fold it over, and sew it on a little less than 1/8″ away from the edge.

I like to move my needle over all the way to the left so I can center my binding under my presser foot. I gently stretch the binding as I sew and cut it to length once I’m done with an edge. I also tend to have more binding underneath than on top, so I don’t have problems failing to catch the binding underneath in my stitches. Then it’s all done in one step.

This is the way I put the binding and ties on our Sweet Pea Pilot Caps too. I also bind quilts this way (with quilt fabric, of course). I’m all for quick and easy.

When sewing with knits keep in mind that you need to use a ball point needle in your machine. That way you don’t risk snagging runs and making holes in your fabric and it slides through the fabric much better than a universal needle does.

Now for the pictures with the shirt on my model.

“Hunter, go sit in your seat so I can take your picture!”

That works…

I’ll show you the other one tomorrow.