Backyard oasis

I don't think life gets much better than this: sharing a soft blankie on soft grass with my favorite girl. She would jump up, walk away, and then come running back to crash down beside me.

I guess it does get a little better: sharing a raspberry frozen fruit bar! (Have you tried them? They are from Edy's. No sugar added and so refreshing! We love the strawberry/raspberry/tangarine flavor variety pack.)

New wheels

Caroline's got a new way to get around. It's really fun to ride all over Central Gardens together. We laugh about the fact that we're huffing and puffing and she gets to ride around like a princess with juice and snacks! She loves everything about it but her helmet.

Sweet corn

Any doubts that this girl is from the south? Yum!

Another and another and another

Here's a trio of dresses I made for Caroline. I can't stop myself! It's just too much fun.

This is my new favorite pattern: "Frannie" from the Children's Corner (in case you're interested). It's so cute, versitile, and easy to make. I put these 2 together in one week, thanks to a sewing day at a local shop and a couple of long naps! I already have visions of this as a corduroy jumper for the fall.


Can't catch this girl...


Aren't those bows under the arms cute?


Another "Frannie"


I love this piping.


And lastly, here's a simple sun dress with shoulder ties.

The incredible bubble wand

This is, hands down, the best $7 we've ever spent at Wal-Mart. We blow bubbles every night (no lie). If we don't get to it soon enough for the Princess, she walks around saying, "Bubble. Bubble! Bubble!" And the wacky dog loves it, too. Sometimes too much. There's just something really cool and relaxing about bubbles.

Goofy girl

Animal signs

This is just a cute clip of Caroline doing a couple of her animal baby signs. She knows a ton! It is seriously hard to get this girl to stand/sit still for a video, so I had to catch her at lunch.

We love downtown Memphis!

We had a very fun Saturday morning! We went downtown to the Memphis Farmer's Market. It was fantastic! Shame on me for not getting any pictures... I think it may become a regular Saturday morning activity for us. I can't wait to go back! We found food to create our entire Saturday night meal - goat milk marinated feta, organic steak, sweet corn, blackberry preserves, mini chocolate chess pies. I made some fresh bread for the preserves. The steak and the corn went on the grill. Our meal was fantastic! And I picked up some stone ground grits for later. Delicious!

After we had seen all there was to see at the MFM, we hopped on the trolley for a riverside loop trip. As you can see, we all love the trolley. It's one of our favorite things about Memphis. (You'll have to click on the slideshow to go to the album so you can see the video.)

Sewing the summer away

I'm getting braver with my onsie appliques. I did it all on my machine. I do like the look of hand-embroidery, but I wanted to play on my machine. I made this for one of Kevin's fellow residents who has a new daughter. I'm thinking I need to find some tee-shirts so her older sister can have one that matches. I think it's pretty cute!


This was the first successful onsie applique - made for Caroline for the 4th of July. I won't discuss the previous unsuccessful attempts.


And - surprise! - another bubble! (What number is this? Four?) This is for a dear friend's daughter. Her first birthday is next week and I thought she needed something sweet and smocked. I'm very proud of this one and can't wait to give it away. I went to a sewing session at a local store for help with the collar and sleeves. Sorry for the terrible picture. I've got to get a better one in the daylight of the smocking and the miniature piping around the sleeves and collar.

Boo-boo

Caroline and Tigger had a collision in the backyard one night about 2 weeks ago. I am so thankful that Kevin had "skin superglue" in his bag and some friends working in the ER. He fixed her up right here at home. It's healing well now and doesn't even need a bandage anymore. When we ask her if she has a boo-boo, she points to her forehead and says, "Boo-boo!"

Buddies

Mother and daughter

I'm really very flattered when people tell me Caroline looks like me! First, I think she's just beautiful. Second, most people think she looks like Kevin! Here we are (per a request from Rachel)...

A great 4th

(Click on the slideshow if you would like to go directly to the Picasa album.)

Happy Independence Day!

Artist

I like how she picked a pencil that coordinated with her shirt.

She really gets into it!

Pondering her next masterpiece...

29

The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been. -Madeleine L'Engle, writer (1918- )

Happy birthday to me! Here are 29 things about me on my 29th, which happens to be on the 29th:

1. I'm a summer girl.
2. I'm a beach girl, too. I come by it naturally.


3. One of my favorite books is Beach Music by Pat Conroy.
4. Kevin and I both devour Stephen King novels. We've got quite a collection.
5. I can't read said Stephen King novels while Kevin's on call - they freak me out!
6. My all-time favorite book is Gone with the Wind.
7. I have my great-grandmother Odette's 1946 edition of GWTW.
8. I love the way Caroline's laundry smells. I often throw some of my laundry in with hers just so I can enjoy the smell.
9. Sometimes I miss Caroline when she's sleeping.
10. I'm a laid-back parent, which really surprised me.
11. I take long hot baths.
12. I'm in love with Cary Grant.
13. I like to iron (I didn't say I did it often!). I really like to iron new fabric after I've washed it.
14. I was born missing both of my lateral teeth. The teeth I have in their place are my canines, which have been rounded out to look like laterals.
15. My grandfather was a dentist and always wanted a look at my teeth when we visited him.


16. My sister and I called him Boompa, which is what Jimmy Stewart's character's grandchildren called him in his movie Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. (That's my cousin Dallas, my Mimi Lee, me, and my Boompa.)
17. His mother, Odette, was a French woman and I'm named after her. I've very proud of my middle name.
18. Kevin sometimes calls me Odette.
19. The dinner table at my house is affectionately referred to as "Chez Odette."
20. I golf.
21. I can't stay awake if golf is on the TV.
22. I love crunchy foods.
23. I like to crunch fall leaves underfoot.
24. My favorite tree/flower is the magnolia.
25. Spanish moss is some of the most beautiful stuff on earth.
26. I like cold coffee.
27. I think a glass of wine can fix darn near anything.
28. I have my dream job.
29. I'm not afraid of getting older. Life just keeps getting better!
30. And one to grow on - I like even numbers.

Tiny treasures

I made these little hair bows for Caroline. So cute and easy, too! My mom thinks she looks like Little Cindy Lou Who with the bow! She really does... (She's vegging out to Sesame Street with a snack here.)

I love the blue one the best. I haven't found anything that it matches yet.

And here's a tiny pin cushion. Also very fun and easy to make. Save your 2-liter bottle tops!

On a side note...this is my 100th post! Thanks for keeping up and staying in touch with us!

A night out for Mom and Dad

Every June, the UT-Methodist Radiology Residency celebrates its senior residents with a fancy dinner at some exclusive location in Memphis. We wouldn't dare miss it!

Caroline fed, bathed, pajama-ed, and ready for the babysitter! I was impressed that I actually had everyone ready and waiting for the babysitter. Yea, me! When we were saying goodbye, Caroline started waving at the babysitter and saying, "Bye bye." She didn't understand we were saying bye to her! It made me kind of sad. I guess Mom and Dad need to go out more... The babysitter and she had a great time.


We clean up pretty good...