She's Six!

Rubes turned six on Friday. Hard to believe. We had a party at Grandma's house on Wednesday and then some family fun on the actual birthday. There's another party for her friends coming this Saturday.

Ruby still had her stitches during the visit with the relatives. My youngest sis, Tawnie, said the coolest thing...
Tanwie: "Do you know what a line or scar on your body means?"
Rubes, looking leery: "No?"
Tawnie: "It means you have an interesting story to tell."
Wish I'd thought of that one myself. My older sis, Tara, had a funnier thought after Rubes scowled at her...
Tara: "Hey, Misty, Ruby has a furrowed brow with an exclamation point!"
I was trying really hard not to pee myself. I found that extremely funny. Rubes's stitches came out on her birthday and once again she was a star. I'm happy to report that all is healing nicely. I was also busy this week making Ruby a dress. Hers is the one on the right. I "copied" from the one on the left, which I picked up at a bag sale last spring. I simply made paper patterns of the top and measured the lenght of the bottom ruffles or pieces. Definitely the most intricate item I've sewn to date. Quite fun and I'm already planning more but with thicker straps.

These are the party invites I made as well.

I'm taking a laid back approach to this party since it seams like the more I plan the more stressed I become and the crabbier I get. Tis true. Rubes has a ton o' party ideas so I'm sticking with... Game/Craft, Food, Cake, Gifts, Free Play. We're talking five little giggly girls here and we have plenty of dress-up clothes. Now to make it through the week. There are cookies to make, party favors to create, Easter dresses to finish and another "boy" present to make. (This one is Star Wars related..... may the force be with me!)

Stitches

Yesterday was quite the day. If you're squeamish you may not want to not scroll down. We had two little friends at our house from 10 till 2. There was running, biking and lots of playing. Then Rubes and Teo went to their house while I headed to work. I received a call at 4:45pm that Rubes had been hit in the head with a golf club. The phrase sounds cliche but "accidents happen". In all honesty I always thought Teo would be the reason for a trip to the emergency room. Alas Rubes now has 11 little stitches in her forehead. Rubes was such a brave girl. No screaming or crying during the stitches, just a bit of quivering lip. Our Doctor told us she was a much better patient than most adults he sees for this sort of thing. He was great, patient and kind. He told Rubes everything he would be doing and how it might feel. The best experience I've ever had with an emergency room.
Here's our morning after shot. Hopefully there won't be much scarring. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm just thankful she's O.K.

Mom, I Love You But....

Teo will be old enough to start Pre-K this fall and thus in the mail a few weeks ago we received a packet of forms to fill out. They range from an enrollment form to bus service. My favorite is the "Preschool Development Inventory". On it are 84 yes or no statements that "describe the things that children do as part of growing up."
Here's a small sampling...
Washes and dries hands.
Asks the meaning of words.
Says "I can't," "I don't know how," or "You do it."
Sings simple songs.
Puts two sentences together with the words "and," "or," or "but."

The last one I've heard used a lot recently. However it always starts the same.
Mom, I love you but,.....
Here's a sampling of Teo's love.
"Mom, I love you but, someday I'm going to drive a car."
"Mom, I love you but, I'm hungry and need a snack, please."
"Mom, I love you but, I think I should go to Jackson's house and play with him."

My favorite came on a phone call for Grandma's birthday.
"Grandma, I love you but, someday I'm going to visit and live with you for a hundred years."

Polyester Dino

Made this guy back in February before the "funk" wiped us out. I changed my pattern slightly from the first Dino I made by tweaking the legs. He looks more Dino now and less Loch Ness Monster.

Polyester is quite nice for this sort of stuffed animal. There's no stretching and spot cleaning is a breeze.

I had intended to keep this one as a backup birthday gift but Rubes saw him and claimed him as her own.

There's an identical Dino to this one half made for Teo if I can bring myself to finish it. I've not been in a animal making mood lately. Maybe with Spring around the corner I'll reclaim the energy to finish some of my current unfinished projects.

More Can-Can Goodness

I'm really getting the hang of this skirt. I love it! Rubes was invited to two more birthday parties recently and since both children are girls the following were made. (Rubes has quite the social calender.)

Blue for her blonde, blue-eyed friend.

And purple for the other. Rubes was very specific on this color choice.

I've altered the pattern by adding an elastic waist band to both the skirts. Takes the pressure off guessing the correct size and allows for growth spurts.

The only down-side so far is the need to hand wash. Nylon chiffon tends to wonk out and shrink if thrown in the washer. (Frills need a little extra care.)

I'm in the process of making some spring/summer skirts with the basic skirt pattern but tweaking the ruffles/fabric. Should be fun.

Tooth Fairy Preparations

Having a kindergartner brings a lot of new discussion into the house. Lately there's been talk of losing teeth. When, where, why, and the Tooth Fairy. So with a Moms-Night-Out planned this past weekend at Paper Studio I made-up a tooth box.

The box was made using 2 dies we have on hand at Paper Studio. A few Fiskers hand punches for the oval and scallop details. The fairy was made using the Slice cutter with the Big Kids card. Add a button, Zots glue dots, flowers or leaves and some Stickles for sparkle. It was well received so I'm quite pleased. I always wonder if people will like a creation as much as I do... there's a bit of pressure when making things for a group. Anyways a good time was had by all.

On a side note, today is the first day, in about 2 weeks, I woke up feeling well. There's still a lil' bit o' crud in my system but all in all I've got some energy. Welcome back old self... I've missed you.