My daughter is currently enamored with anything to do with oceans and sea life. She mostly favors dolphins and orcas, but a mermaid will do in a pinch.
A while back I bookmarked Angry Chicken's Merbaby post, and earlier this summer, I finally got around to pulling out a few scraps and making a mermaid costume for this favorite doll.
I love projects that are so simple and silly and satisfying. Pregnancy got the best of me the other evening, so I curled up with the kids on the couch and clicked on the TV. Bob Ross was busy painting "happy clouds" and "happy trout," and the kids were mesmerized by his pom pom hair.
Today, in a nod to the late Mr. Ross, we pulled out the art supplies.
At least some good came out of that bout of morning sickness.
The easel just might become a permenant piece of our upstairs furniture.The next Beehive Bazaar is less than a month away, and I'm already counting down the days.
It's such great way to support local artists, buy a few treats, and get lots of inspiration to tap into all winter long. At the Bazaar last May, I picked up this cute wrap skirt (made from an old bed sheet).
I still have plans to recreate this great pattern using some of my fabric stash. We'll see what my next visit to the Bazaar brings.
Only a few more weeks until the madness begins.I love that our little ones are now old enough to make costume requests.
The little guy asked to be Batman this year, so I whipped together a cape, refashioned an old black beanie into a mask, and painted a little shirt for him. Originally, I just put bat ears on the hat, but he kept wearing the hat pulled down over this eyes, until I realized that Batman has a face mask and cut eye holes into the hat. He was much happier and safer once we had that figured out.
We were fortunate to move into a neighborhood where the neighbors like to celebrate together. Our cul-de-sac comes together several times a year to celebrate Easter and summer and the new school year. On the Saturday before Easter, each family brings their little ones along with a smattering of candy-filled plastic eggs, a special egg with a note to find your family to claim a special gift (coloring book, inexpensive kite, punch balloon, etc.), and a breakfast treat or drink to share. We designate a yard for each age group (0-2, 3-5, 6-10) and host an egg hunt for the little ones. After the hunt and the exchanging of special prizes (one per child), we all enjoy breakfast together. This year was a bit rainy, so we huddled together in our neighbor's garage for breakfast before slipping home to warm houses to gobble Easter treats.
We started a new tradition this year--a Mother's Day Tea Party. My sister hosted the event at her place and I took care of the activities. 
my son (the token male of the day) and I prepare the party punch.
A much-loved aunt and my sister help get the hat decorating station ready for the little girls.
A tea table set for the women over 14 years of age.
One of my favorite girls in her party hat.
The girls show off their lovely hats. The little girls decorated dollar store hats that were leftover from their Easter stock. We brought some faux flowers and gobs of ribbon and let the girls have at it.
Salt Lake City has some of the best haunts a girl could ask for. Some of my favorites made it to Design*Sponge. Give yourself a weekend, and enjoy a city that has been my home away from home for years now.
Now that summer is here, we have abandoned the weekly trips to the chains stores in favor of farmers markets, local food sources in our rural town, and our very own garden. We toyed with the idea of joining a CSA, but decided to use our resources toward expanding our own garden and buying local eggs and meat. These eggs were almost too pretty to eat.
We have been delighted to find that a more local market that we had once dismissed as too small has grown into a thriving place for produce on Saturday mornings. While we may still head to the "big city" once in a while for their farmers market, this local one will more than do the trick for a typical week.
Our local fishing hole is another link in the summer food chain and one that the kids and their dad never grow tired of. The trout seem to always be biting, and I get up in the mountains, so I can't complain.
Finally, our garden--it's my refuge these days. I spend the cool, early morning hours with my hands in the soil and can hardly believe the size of the tomatillos and zucchinis this early in the season. The onions are up, and the beans are making their way into velvety pods.
We have harvested plenty of herbs already and have dried them for use this winter. There's nothing better than the smell of thyme and tomatoes on the tips of your fingers.
I tried going back to pen and paper, but I missed the pictures. I even gave Facebook a shot, but I'd rather folks come inquiring about my life, rather than have me just arrive on their virtual doorstep. So, I'm back to a blogging as the main route of capturing our lives and the small moments that are so worth remembering. While there will remain two blogs, this will be our public home for the time being--crafts, kids, and all.
This weekend, I finished these fun aprons for the pay it forward event. While I'll still find time for sewing and crafting, I've taken on some work assignments and will be posting less often on NapNotes. Though the posting may be sporadic, I'm leaving the blog up in case the ideas are of any use to others.
I just finished sewing this sweet, soft doll for a friend's new baby. My kiddos had a hard time with the idea that this baby doll was not for them.
I finally have some time to create and play and want to share in the fun, so when I saw this idea on my sister's blog, I jumped on board and am inviting all of you to do the same. If you don't sew or knit, why not send your favorite photo, make some cards, or send a batch of your favorite cookies along with the recipe? There are so many ways that we all create in our everyday lives.
Some of you may have seen this particular blog post popping up here and there, but if you haven't, read on:
"Pay it Forward"
The first three people to comment on this post are entitled to a handmade gift from me. What you get and when you receive it are up to me -- it's a surprise (I'm all for mailing stuff, for those that think they live too far away...)
"The catch" is that you post this same challenge on your own blog and commit to sharing 3 handmade gifts yourself with those that choose to comment on YOUR blog.
Here are a few more ideas from our DIY birthday bash. Here is a pin the candle on the cupcake game that I made with felt and velcro. If a kid get the candle anywhere on the cupcake, he or she is an instant winner.
There's always a book corner at our birthday parties just in case anyone needs some quiet time, is feeling a bit shy and needs to warm up to new friends, or is dropped off or picked up a bit late.
We added some simple pink pom poms for decorations. Directions found here.
Finally, we sent each friend home with a tutu (see below), a wand (felt, dowel, and ribbon), and a crown (trim from a after Christmas sale with a bit more ribbon). 
As part of the birthday festivities around here, I made a whole heap of tutus. This no-sew technique makes it easy to complete a tutu almost anywhere. So, if you've seen me about town with a bag of tulle, this is what I've been up to.
Step 1: So, I lied about it being a no-sew project. This is the step where you measure the waist of the ballerina. You then cut the elastic to just beyond the measured length and then sew the ends together. The sewing doesn't have to be perfect because it will eventually be covered by tulle.
Step 2: Cut tulle into 4-6inch strips.
Step 4: Loop the legs over the elastic waistband and pull them through the tulle loop.
Step 5: Pull the tulle tight and repeat with other strips until tutu is the desired thickness and fullness.
Step 6: Put on the tutu or give it to the ballerina waiting patiently by, turn on some tunes, and dance.
