Beautiful Days

Nothing extraordinary going on here, but it's all kind of extraordinary in its own way. Today is such a beautiful day, that sit in a sun-dappled corner of the yard and drink in the gentle breezes kind of day. Isabelle and I visited Great Gram, my father's mother, earlier and I savored those fewer clear, lucid moments we shared together. Her eyes are the palest but brightest cornflower blue. Or at least that's how I choose to remember them. Life moves so very fast. I feel like I was just a girl, sitting beside her at her sewing machine, wide-eyed and marveling at all she could create. When I'm sewing in the early morning hours or late into the night, I often think of my grandmother.

Look what I've got sitting on my bedside table!!!

Peonies!!!
I was downright giddy the day I discovered those little red stalks shooting out of the ground here, and now here they are! Now I'm giddy that I get to look at (and sniff!) these beauties from my bed. These are the most delicious smelling peonies ever!

I love the delicate furls and curls of columbine flowers...

I planted these bleeding hearts just weeks ago and the plants have doubled in size! Love how intricate and tiny they are.

We're facing more hurdles with our adoption. There's no other word except heartsick. I know God is in control, but all this waiting waiting waiting is so difficult. Yet I know we have SO much to celebrate, and one of those things just happens to have occurred on this very day, June 5th, five years ago -- we were finally out of PGN, the last phase in the Guatemalan courts, the phase that delayed more times than I can count (well, not really- it was four...). This was THE BEST news! I remember it all like it was yesterday. We left for Guatemala 19 days later, and I've never gone another day without her.

Lastly, a big, huge, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU to all of who have purchased something from my Etsy shop. So far, proceeds have paid some attorney fees, home study update fees, and for the profile books we need to have printed. So thank you! Below are some newer things -- spread the word for me, okay? Thanks!

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/152104092/vintage-peasant-dress-grey-and-white?ref=v1_other_2

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/152108689/peasant-nightgown-nightdress-pink-and?ref=shop_home_active

https://www.etsy.com/listing/153162012/newborn-white-embroidered-cotton-lace?

Hope you're having a lovely day too!

Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

I nearly died when I took a bite of this Peanut Butter Pie. In the good way. It was a cinch to make and it was certainly a crowd-pleaser! AND... it's easier than ever to shave off extra calories by swapping out low- or no-fat ingredients!

Here's What You Need
Oreos (I used DoubleStuf...is there really any other kind?)
1/2 stick butter or margarine
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp milk
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz whipped topping, thawed
toppings & garnishes, such as M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, cookies.....

Here's What You Do
Crush 20 Oreos (or more if not DoubleStuf) in either the processor, blender, or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Melt butter in the microwave; combine and blend. Pat crumb mixture onto bottom and sides of 9" pie plate. You can add more Oreos with a smidge more butter if you want a thicker crust. Place entire pie plate/ crust in freezer.

For the filling, mix together peanut butter, sugar, milk, and cream cheese until smooth and creamy -- I did this by hand it was fine. I added in the whipped topping at the same time, but the original recipe recommends folding that in last. Either way, it will be sensational. Spread filling onto crust. I was in super crazy rush mode so I completely forgot to add the layer of toppings that's supposed to go in the middle of the filling. Whoops! You know what? Loved it anyway, it's so creamy and light and delicioso! Let set in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

The other change I made was simply a result of the grocery store not having a single bag of Reese's Pieces in stock. Like, nowhere to be found. So I settled with peanut M&Ms, as if that could be settling... I LOVED the pop of color they added to the pie, and the extra crunch was just perfect! I also crunched up some chocolate peanut butter cookies and a chopped up a couple Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to add to the mix. So SO good! The pie is all gone now, and we miss it. So so sad. Next time I may add a hot fudge drizzle (we're not big fans of chocolate syrup), but of course the calorie count will probably double.

Worth.It.

Adapted from this terrific recipe.

We were in the midst of such a heat wave this past weekend that we decided on a no-bake cake for the almost- birthday boy. This was the perfect solution! I think I'm on to something here...

This is a scaled-back Fiesta Forty. Long story.
I got some Coca-Cola glasses from the dollar store, and the smaller ones were .59 a piece. They looked really cute with the bright flowers.
See Caleb's foot pillow there? Poor thing.

 ***Do you also see what's different???
It's the floor! It's the floor! No more nasty carpet! Hallelujah!
Although next up is the kitchen. That's a whole lotta tile to take up!

Now go make some Peanut Butter Pie!  =)

Sharing with//
Lil Luna 
The Girl Creative 
Chef-in-Training 
Sugar Bee Crafts

Monday Monday

Howdy! The humidity has finally broken here in central NH, which feels absolutely heavenly. Plus my hair now no longer requires its own zip code...yikes! Had me some big hair this past week! The new cut has some layers that are just too short between the curls and the humidity, and the only way they go is up. And out. Oh good golly, it needs some help! Time to investigate headbands. Or full-head wraps, or something.

Gorgeous girl. I am continually amazed and grateful that God chose us to be her family.

I heard about more tornadoes in Oklahoma while driving the kiddos to school this morning. Those poor, poor people. On a {much} lighter note, Jars of Clay's Flood came on and I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of Caleb's version... "slowly I become wonderful mud (one with the mud)..."  HaHaHa  That little stinker was the cutest.little.boy.ever!!! He is so itchy and uncomfortable with his broken leg and cast, but thankfully the pain has decreased considerably. I didn't mention it last week, but they couldn't put on the "real" cast because he had what they call fracture blisters -- I'd never heard of them, and boy oh boy, are they AWFUL! Ginormous discolored blisters, bigger than golf balls, all up and down the sides of his leg and around his ankle -- it was shocking to say the least! I can't even imagine what that must feel like. Poor baby. So tomorrow we go in and try again. Of course, this makes me miss out on Isabelle's class field trip to the farm. Sad sad sad. There needs to be eight of me sometimes!

Jonah was the sickie today, and I say that word pretty darn loosely, if you catch my drift. I think he just needed a quiet day. I don't have a problem with that, unless it were to become an issue, but it hasn't. He read on the couch while I did a major house clean. It's funny, at certain times in the year, I am so organized and on top of things, and then...well...there are those other times. The house - and Jonah- got a little extra attention today and now we're all much happier!

Isabelle is obsessed with writing, list-making in particular. Yup, that's my girl all right! I must say I think it's the more adorable thing in the world. Tonight she wrote out a summer to-do list while I chopped up fruit for tomorrow's snacks. We always make a big Summer List, but this year I think I might write down some activities on slips of paper and have kids draw them. I'm not sure if the planner in me will be able to tolerate that long-term, but it sure does sound like fun, for a couple weeks anyway.

Take a look at this pitiful thing! The boys gave Ryder a shower/bath tonight after dinner, which he tolerates but certainly does not enjoy, and afterwards he squishes his whole chest and chin on the floor and sliiiiides his little old self across the carpet. He literally goes from room to room, just sliding completely flat on the floor. And apparently, bathing is hard work...check out the massive panting. Funniest thing to watch -- I haven't laughed that hard in a while! Oh Ryder, you crazy thing you!

We had a little birthday celebration for my main squeeze over the weekend, and I've got some recipes to share! Soooooo good! Right after the party, the sky turned black, and we were all just basically hoping a storm would cool things off (it didn't), but it sure produced a few of those heart-jumps-in-your-throat-and-sucks-the-air-straight-out-of-your-lungs claps of thunder. Ethan had just reminded me of the time when Isabelle burst out crying after a loud thunder boom a few years ago, and as if on cue, BOOM! Poor Isabelle, scared the cute little pleated shorts right off her! That thunder was so SO loud!

So that's it for today. Exciting, I'm sure. I will share those recipes later this week, and for that, you will be really, really glad.  =)

Here are some of our previous lists//

Summer List 2011

Summer List 2012

the OPPOSITES dress// Reworking a Pattern for Endless Options

Whew, it sure is a hot one here in NH today! We've still got a couple weeks left of school, so I'm not quite in summer mode like some of you are. And boy oh boy, has it been one of those kinds of weeks. Isabelle was pitching quite the fit earlier today (which landed her in her room) and she kept it up for a loooong time, and all I kept thinking was Why won't someone order me to my room? I'd gladly go! How funny that when we're little that isolation feels like such a punishment, and now...well, it's nothing short of a yummy, gooey slice of heaven on earth.

Anyhoo.

I got my hands on some scrumptious hot pink and orange floral fabric but could not for the life of me make up my mind about what to do with it! I was really leaning towards a tiered peasant dress, but then I got thinking about that adorable little dress I made for Dress A Girl last year and that cinched it. That dress came to be from a mistake, actually -- I totally miscalculated how much fabric I had, and too late realized that I didn't have enough for the skirt of the dress, and I ended up loving the fix!

The original pattern called for a pleated skirt, which obviously wouldn't work with the patchwork-type panels, so I gathered the skirt instead. Easy peasy! Then of course, I didn't have enough yellow left to make a gathered ruffle, so I opted to pleat that -- pleated ruffles use much less fabric than gathered ones. I love how it turned out, and I remember Isabelle and I prayed that the little girl who received it would feel so special and cared for.

I folded the skirt pattern piece in half to cut the two panels for one side of the dress. (Cut through the fold to make two pieces.)
Then, to make the center panel, I folded the pattern piece into a more rectangular shape, and cut the same length as the other panels and eyeballed the width. The great part about gathering is you don't need to be so precise or perfect!

Sorry, but I don't have a picture of the three panels together because I ended up sewing this late at night. You will have the center panel which is pretty straight down the sides, and the two sides, which have more of a flare on the outer edges.

Use the fabric panels as pattern pieces to cut the contrasting panels, and sew them together as front and back, then as the whole skirt. I sew primarily with French seams -- I wrote a post about it here if you'd like to take a gander at it. Gather the skirt and stitch to the bodice, lining up side seams. Add a ruffle. Or don't. Either way, it's super cute!

The bodice front and back are also opposites.

Instead of the bow in the center, this time I opted for bows on the bodice. (The pattern calls for this.)

You really could switch it up and do any color blocking you want!  LOVE these colors together!

I'm really thankful for blogging because there are so many creative people out there, willing to share their thoughts and ideas, and I've been inspired by them more times than I could ever count. That inspiration has led me to try lots of new things on my own -- some with better results than others, ha! This is one of those things that I might not have attempted a few years ago, and I just love it! The possibilities truly are endless!

Have a fantastic weekend!

**the original pattern is McCall's M5836--

I think I'll make that cute sailor looking top for 4th of July**

Sharing with//

Sew Many Ways 
Sew Can Do 
Funky Polkadot Giraffe 
Sew Much Ado