Flip~Flop Applique

Part of my issue with knocking out embroidery projects is deciding what to make. It's not rocket science, but I probably put too much thought into the process. Cuteness factor is #1. Then there's the longevity of the project. {Is the design seasonal? They probably won't be wearing this flip~flop t~shirt on a warm day in October.} I also think about supplies on hand. {Will I have to buy fabric and thread or do I have what I need?} Then I think about whether they already have something to wear with it if, for example, it's a shirt. {Will I need to make or buy shorts or pants?}

In this instance, I already had the orange pants and the chevron shorts. After agonizing over the decision, I was finally able to choose these cute flip~flops...very easy and very cute!

The shirt coordinates with the orange polka~dot pants which are part of the collection of ruffled pants my mom made the girls a while back. I loved all the pants so much I convinced her we needed some coordinating shorts, as well. These are a cute mix of the turquoise chevron and orange dots {love that color combo}.

Just Keep Swimming

 

Sunday we spent practically the entire day by the pool; it was so pretty outside. The water is still too cold for mommy, though I did make it all the way in for about ten minutes and Walter spent a good deal of time splashing around with the girls. Anna Claire and Mallory, of course, have been swimming since April. Brrrr....

 

No surprise, then, that Mallory has already gotten up enough nerve to try swimming under the water. She's doing great. Earlier this week she was splashing around and told my mom she was a great swimmer ~ just like Michael Jackson! My mom asked her if she meant Michael Phelps???

 

 

End~of~the~Year Play School Picnic

Monday was such a BIG day!

After kindergarten testing and a quick outfit change, we headed over to Anna Claire and Mallory's end~of~the~year play school picnic...their official last day of play school.

It's so bittersweet ~ more so for mommy, I think. I pretty much cried all day Sunday, but I guess I got it out of my system because I did not cry at the picnic, and the girls had such a great time!

We sure will miss their wonderful teachers and wonderful school!

Look Out Kindergarten, Here They Come!

 

Anna Claire and Mallory had kindergarten testing bright and early Monday morning ~ 7:30am ~ before their end~of~the~year play school picnic.

 

They were so excited to go, but not so excited about mommy waking them up at 6:30 to get there on time. Luckily their new school is less than four miles from our house. Nevertheless, today was a nice test run to see how mornings might work next school year!

 

The teachers took them back one at a time and asked them questions about their letters, numbers, colors, etc. Mallory told me she read a story out of a book {???} and that she told the teacher all about the chicks next door, one of which she's named Lollipop. Huh? We have no chicks next door. After some careful questioning, I figured out she was talking about the chicks next door to Grandmom's house. ha.ha.

 

Anna Claire's testing took forever. I'm pretty sure she talked the teacher's ear off! She came out with a huge smile on her face and didn't seem worried at all when she told me she missed a couple of her letters. It was painful not to be able to go back with them, but it sounds like they did a great job. So proud of them!!

Oh, The Places You'll Go: Four~Year~Old Play School Graduation

Last Thursday night, Anna Claire and Mallory "graduated" from play school. I can't believe three wonderful years of play school have come to an end. The girls are ready for kindergarten, but I'm not sure if I am!

 All the four year old classes performed a Dr. Seuss~themed program that was fabulous!

 The girls received diplomas from their teacher and got big hugs for having such a good year!

After the singing and diploma~awarding were over, it was time for the art show. The girls shared the art portfolios they've worked on all year long. I've been dying to see these, and they are amazing! I've got to find some time to share some of their pieces with you. Not only are the girls' pieces so creative, but I can't believe all the work their amazing art teacher put into creating the portfolios.

Anna Claire and Mallory were so excited to share their work with us!

I can't believe play school is over. We've been so lucky to have had three wonderful years with lots of love and learning and such sweet teachers. I can't believe kindergarten is right around the corner for these two!

Tiny Dancers - Recital Costumes are Here!

Anna Claire and Mallory got to try on their dance costumes for the first time during Friday's class. Don't they look so sweet? They love their costumes. {They are much better that last years' costumes!}

They were the first ones out of the dressing room, so I was able to get some video before any other little ballerinas came out. They were soooooo excited!

Mallory was all about posing for the camera, but Anna Claire was getting fussy because her costume was itchy.

 

Their recital is June 29th...let me know if you need a ticket!

 



Happy Mother's Day!

Did you have a Happy Mother's Day?

Anna Claire and Mallory had a Mother's Day tea at playschool which was lovely. We sang songs, danced, played games, and ate yummy cupcakes and fruit kabobs. The girls had made a few cute art projects including the thumbprint necklaces I'm wearing in the picture below!

 

Sunday we wet over to Granny and Papa's where the kids swam in the pool {no, the water is not warm enough} and jumped on the trampoline.

 What a cute picure. I took it with my new iPhone that I got for Mother's Day...finally! ha.ha.

I hope you had as wonderful as a Mother's Day as I did!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Since this week is Teacher Appreciation Week, the girls and I put together a little something special yesterday afternoon, so they could make their special delivery at school today. They have two amazing teachers ~ we are so lucky!

I know...this idea is all over Pinterest, but I needed something easy!

We picked up some sunny yellow gerbera daisies on the way home yesterday and added a yellow grosgrain bow and a cute little gift tag to make them extra special. I made the note by merging some clip art from Pic Monkey and word art from Word {couldn't figure out how to curve text in Pic Monkey. Anyone?}. I printed the cards on card stock, trimmed the edges with pinking shears and taped them to cake pop sticks. I've gotta say I'm pretty proud of those little gift tags!

"Thanks for Helping Us Grow This Year!"

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Sunshine Day

Do you remember that song from The Brady Bunch? I used to sing it to the girls when they were babies. I wanted to sing it all day today. The sun finally came out today and it DID NOT rain. I think it's been a month since I've seen sunshine.

The weekend was a total washout ~ again. More riding bikes in the garage...in p.j.s...

We just got the new American Girl catalog in the mail. We don't currently "do" American Girl dolls, but for the first time, both Anna Claire and Mallory have taken a huge interest in the catalog. This is Anna Claire's attempt at setting up one of the vignettes from the catalog ~ camping, I think. She is so funny, and her imagination amazes me daily!

Do your girls have America Girl Dolls? What age did you start? Did you begin with a bitty baby or go all~in from the start? We've got a milestone birthday coming up...I need some advice! {Thanks Jenn and Robin for already weighing in.}

Rain is back tomorrow...I think we're going to float away!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Between rainstorms Saturday, we made a mad splash dash to the strawberry patch. I was beginning to think we wouldn't make it before all the strawberries were gone.

The ground was muddy from all the recent rain, so it was a good thing Anna Claire and Mallory wore their rain boots. There were plenty of strawberries, and we quickly figured out the best rows were the muddiest ~ the rows other people wouldn't dare pick from! The girls did a really great job picking at first and filled almost an entire bucket by themselves before splashing in the mud became more fun!

Our Sweet Strawberry Pie ~

I really wanted a strawberry pie recipe that didn't call for Jell-o, and I found one here. It was super~easy to make and most importantly yummy! I froze plenty of strawberries, so we'll definitely make this pie again!