Updates on us

This is Ashy's first day of school for this year!

This shows what Dreyson's opinion of infant circumcision is, and how happy he is that it wasn't done to\him!

Jayce blows bubbles like a pro, at only 18 months old!

This is a little blurry because he was running by so fast!

Ashy with a puppy named Sunny!

Here is little slobber-spitty-puss in a machine-quilted bib I made him!

We had Jayce on Friday and, as always, had a great time with him!  He walks around, talking a mile minute, checking everything out.  He loved the sand box, although it took him a minute to figure out what to do with it.  He decided that throwing it was the most fun.  The top of his head held the evidence!  Allan had to hold him upside-down so I could wash the sand out.  I learned, many years ago, that pouring water over an upright head is a very slow way to get sand out, especially with very curly hair, like he has.

Grandma loves you Jayce!

He's here! Dreyson Carter Starr, born early this morning and he's just precious.  Ashy loves her baby brother!

This thing seems to have a mind of its own, right now!  It keeps erasing photos, so I am going to try again later.  The picture of Ashy and Jayce eating Creamies is from two days ago.  It was Jayce's first Creamie and he LOVED it! 

I've been trying to make a tutorial for a doll dress (above), to share.  But, I haven't gotten it finished yet, so I will share a couple of other things that I've done recently that include tips that I hope someone else who has a little girl to sew for might like.

 Below are some illustrations of an upcycled dress I did, from a store-bought one I'd had hanging in my closet several years and only worn a couple times because I didn't like how it looked on me, although I loved the fabric.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures of the original dress, before I cut it up.  The blue dress below is pretty similar.  

I cut off the skirt, shortened it a bit and took a few inches out of the width. I cut a new bodice, from a pretty standard-style commercial pattern, and put a black satin ribbon belt on it.  It turned out beautifully and she loves it!  Its quite big, so it will fit her at least one more year, but the belt helps disguise how big it is.

Another thing I have been doing is lots of pillowcase dresses, mostly for charity, but a few for Ashy.  I made a couple with a lace ruffle on the top.  I just sewed the flat lace onto the top part and then let the elastic or ties gather it. (Pillowcase dresses can be made with the ties going all the way through the casing on top, or with elastic inside the casing and the ties just on the edges and I've made them both ways.)  Those turned out OK, but I wished the ruffled lace would stand out more.  So, I decided to try making it about half again as wide as the top and gathering it, before sewing it on.  Then when I put the elastic in, it was gathered the amount I wanted, but stood out more than those I hadn't gathered before.  The picture doesn't make it look like it! stands out as much as it really does, but here is an example that I like so much that I have it hanging on my wall, for now.  I just find it cheers me up to look at something beautiful I've made.

Well, I need to take all the bedding from the bassinet and wash it, so it will be ready for my new grandson, who is scheduled to be born tomorrow.  I'm SO glad my grandchildren live close by!  I think of my grandparents, and how hard it was for them, always having us so far away.  My mother was their only child, and she married a career Marine.  They had a farm outside of Walla Walla, Washington.  Dad was usually stationed 2,000 miles away, or more.  My parents managed to get us up there about two out of every three years, and Grandma and Grandpa sometimes visited wherever we were, but they still averaged seeing us only about once a year.  I've never had to go more than 10 days without seeing either of my grandchildren and I start to miss them terribly after about 48 hours!

Today I tried on a shorts set I had made for Ashy, although the pictures didn't turn out that great.  I made the top like a regular pillowcase dress, with elastic, rather than a drawstring.  It's a bit big, but it'll fit next year too.  She is growing tall more, now, than around.  There are several pairs of pants that were real tight last year that fit better this year.  She "had a sleepover" last night, passed out at ten and didn't move until nine this morning.  Then she helped me make scrambled eggs and we went out and played in the sand box for a while.  I took out some of the shells I brought back from my trip to visit Julia last month,  I told her I would sure love to be able to find the money to take her to California to the beach.

Tomorrow, we get to have Jayce for a while!

 This is the second installment of my blog.  I have sort of figured out how to post a picture and text, but not how to make a background or some kind of way of making it look nice!

This is a picture of the beginning of the "gaposis" that little kids have from the time their first baby tooth falls out until the last of their adult teeth have come in all the way.  Her father lost his first tooth at a little over five, so I expected her to lose them early.  However, she is still four months away from turning five!

Some other sewing and crocheting I have been doing includes dressing Ashlyn's dolls.  First of all, I am thrilled that she is becoming more interested in dolls.  So far, she has loved her stuffed animals to death but barely given her dolls the time of day!  Not that it would really matter if she never liked dolls, but it would certainly be more fun for me!  I have always loved dolls, and sewing for them is great fun! 

Anyway, here is the outfit I made for one of her two favorite dolls, over a couple of evenings.   The picture isn't great, but I will try to get a better one.  I am also working on a pattern/tutorial for the dress and crocheted hat, both of which were easy.

One more Ashy picture is one of her with one of the three surprise kittens her little cat presented her with.  They had an appointment, on a Monday, to have her spayed.  However, on Sunday morning, Ashy went into her parents' room and said, "Um....I think Marlie had babies".  There were three tiny kittens, one white (which is now getting Siamese markings), one buff tabby, and a smokey gray baby.  We are all thanking the Lord that she had only three, and as soon as they are weaned, she will be getting spayed! 

Not to forget my precious grandson, here are two new pics of him, sitting in the stroller, watching my oldest son working in the garage.  Ashy spends 4 or 5 days a week here, while her parents are at work, and we very rarely go more than 48 hours without seeing her.  We don't get to see Jayce anywhere near as much. I have fewer stories about him, because of that, but I love him every bit as much!  He's a beautiful and very intelligent little guy, who has the longest attention span of any baby his age I've ever known!  He especially loves things with moving pieces.  I expect him to be a famous inventor some day!

Intro

 This is my first attempt to create a blog.  I want to have one to share my crafts and recipes, like many of the others I have seen and found free patterns and ideas from.  Most of those have been from mothers raising their children.  My children are mostly raised.  What I get the most joy from, however, are my grandchildren.  My granddaughter, Ashlyn, will be five in September.  My grandson Jayce,
Ashlyn's cousin, is 14 months and Ashy's little brother is due to be born in a couple of weeks.

I learned to crochet when Ashlyn was born.  I had always wanted to.  I'd actually tried, a few years earlier, but I didn't think I could do it.  I have advanced fibromyalgia and the way I first held the yarn really messed up my arm and shoulder.  When I tried it again, I figured out how to do it without causing so much pain.  I still can't always do it, and can't do it for a long time at once, but enough that I have lost count of all the big things I've made and couldn't even guess how many small things I've made!  It's a wonderful skill to have!

I started sewing in 1967, in Jr. High, at MacDonald Junior High School on post at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  It was something I only did occasionally for the next few years.  Then, at age 16, I got my first job, in the fabric department of the Wigwam store in Waipahu, Hawaii.  With my employee discount, as well as access to sales fabric before it got picked over, I realized that I could afford lots more clothes if I made them.  At first, it was a lot of work, but as my skill developed, it became more and more fun! 

Well, that is it for today!  I am trying to post two pictures.  One is of my grandson, Jayce, wearing a bib I crocheted for Halloween.  The other is my granddaughter, Ashlyn, modeling a dress I upcycled for her.  It started life as a doudy dress of mine, that did nothing for me.  I cut off the skirt, then cut a new bodice from the top part.  Then, I added a satin ribbon belt and voila, I had an elegant new dress that she looks beautiful in (her dog, "Ivory" who thinks she is my other granddaughter, insisted on being in the picture, too)!