I Want to Go to There

As the temperature and humidity climb higher, this is what's on my mind.
We get to go soon!

We would go more than once a year, if a long day of driving (with a toddler) didn't stand between us. Evie was about 17 months old when we went last year. Notice that she's holding up one finger, it could stand for her being one year-old, or it could also represent how many hours she slept out of a twelve hour ride! I'm not kidding.

My mom and dad have property here, outside of Fairplay... isn't it beautiful!

There are wild iris growing by this stream.

 

Last year's trip was Evie's first time in the mountains.

It seems that she enjoyed it, what do you think?

This is how it makes me feel.

We always visit Breckenridge, it's only 22 miles away, 22 gorgeous miles...

We also visited Denver, my old college-town. This park in Stapleton was really cool!

Evie climbed her first mountain there with daddy's help! (A rubberized-purple mound.)

We're coming Colorado!

Be Inspired

I saw this video on a blog called Whatever, that I love to read and be inspired by. This video and song inspire me too. And this, by the way is what I wish I sounded like when I sing.

Loves My Evie Scout

There are some things about Evie that are so completely endearing to her daddy and I that I make the mistake of thinking we will remember them forever... but I know she is ever-changing and my memory is fleeting too. So, even though this post won't be quite as enthralling as it is to those that love her, I need to record them for my own memory. Selfish, I know. Because it feels like this was just yesterday!

Evie is gaining independence in her ability to do things on her own. It's fun to see her put outfits together. And when it's time to climb up to the table for a meal, or brush her teeth/wash her hands at the sink she hurries off in search of her step-stool saying, "Oh, get the goof!". Stool = goof.

When I say "smile" for a picture, this is the face I get.

Evie is very verbal, especially in anticipation of things to come. Like when I tuck her in for her nap, she starts listing off the things we'll do afterward. "Evie turn off (her humidifier), light on, shoes on, mommy, daddy, go outside, pretty great! Yay!" And she claps during the "pretty great!" exclamation, I love that.

She loves to be outside and enjoys gardens. We go to Botanica every week with Granma and eat our lunch outside, then wander around letting Evie lead the way. It's also fun to take a tour around our own garden admiring and observing what is growing or blooming. Evie keeps surprising me by recognizing plants and remembering their names. She knows lambs-ear, roses, daisies, yarrow, poppies, pansies, lily pads, peonies, dandylions, lilacs and tulips! This thrills me.

Evie gets mountains and fountains mixed up, so we look at the "mountains" at Botanica or around town. Remember we are in Kansas, so it's kinda funny.


She likes some unusual foods for a two year-old and will try just about anything on a good day. Evie enjoys Lebanese bulgur (with lots of tomatoes and onions in it), lobster, fish, spinach pesto, guacamole, bierocks, mushrooms, asparagus, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, hummus, cantaloupe and berries. I was such a picky eater when I was growing up, you could have crossed all these foods off of my menu except for the green beans and peas!

Sometimes Evie will put a piece of food on the edge of the table and say "I sorry sparagus." before eating the asparagus or whatever food it is. This gives Philip and I the giggles.

Evie loves garage sales, just like her daddy and I. She is fun to take treasure hunting and I'm grateful that she is such good company! She'll say, "More garage sales!" even after a morning full of them.

Evie claps when we go to church and loves going to Bible Study Fellowship too! She remembered her teacher's name from BSF after going only four times. Out of the blue one day she just started talking about her saying, "Mrs. Whitesell (hard name), nice lady, good lady." When I ask her what they do in bible study she lists off, singing, play dinosaurs, learn about Jesus, sleep and eat snack.
 
Philip has expressed how much it means to him that Evie warmly greets him when he gets home from work. Big hugs and a sweet welcome make coming home so nice!
 

 
Evie has a very expressive face and uses her hands when she speaks. Her eyebrows can say a lot without any words.
 

Thanks for indulging me, my heart is full of warm jelly now.

Consider how the lilies grow...

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!"

Luke 12:27-28

 

This is part of a passage that I've been learning lately. And it isn't so much because I tend towards worry. I don't really. But more because it reminds me how much God loves me.

He wants to make something beautiful out of me.

Even though my life is but a blink to him, like the life of a flower is to us, I am dear to him and he is making something lovely with my life.

How humbling is that!

All images copyright Emily Bergquist Photography 

"Big-Girl Bed" Quilt is Finished!

So after just a couple more days of ignoring other responsibilities and staying up too late, I have finished Evie's quilt! It is very satisfying to make something that you've envisioned and put your heart into creating. After finishing last night I was so happy with the results I could have popped! It took much restraint to not say "TA-DA!" thirteen times, (I kept it down to four).
Here it is!

After purchasing cheery blue fabric for the backing, I changed my mind and decided that a mustard-gold color would be so much better. So now I need to come up with a project that will make use of the five yards of blue, hmm...
Each project I start leads to another, I'm seeing a pattern here.

I tried to use the zig-zag stitch to sew the binding like Bethany suggested, but I couldn't get the machine settings right. Fought the machine for awhile, but since it was after 1 a.m. the machine won. I caved and stuck to the straight stitch I always use. It would behoove me to figure out what I was doing wrong, my sewing knowledge is quite limited.

To avoid the overwhelming job of quilting by hand, I opted to use little yarn-ties. And while debating over which color to use, my mother-in-law had the brilliant idea to use both! I think they are pretty charming.

I don't mean to go on and on, but I'm so pleased that I was able to do this for Evie! My hope is that she will enjoy this quilt for many years. What an exciting thought that someday she could hang this quilt in her daughter's nursery like the one I hung in hers that was made by her great-grandmother Lucille.

Mommas Teach Us How to Love

How blessed I am that I have my momma.

She is a continuous source of love, gentleness, encouragement and strength.

She taught me how to love.

To love God, family and others.

To love nature, art, music, books, and good food (especially vegetables).

She deepens my love for my own family through her appreciation and enjoyment of them.

My momma has taught me to love my own daughter in a way I wouldn't have known without first having experienced it myself.

She is a thoroughly beautiful person.She is one of the people that I crave time with. And it always flies when I am with her.

And as if I wasn't rich enough with the momma God has given me, I am blessed even more with Philip's wonderful momma. 

 

Evie is a lucky little girl with a Granma and Lala that love her socks off!
And I am going to do everything I possibly can to follow their lead and teach Evie to love.

Happy Mother's Day!

Evie's "Big-Girl Bed" Quilt

More often than he should have to, Philip has to remind me (a night-owl) not to stay up all night, especially when I am excited about a project. Last night was one of those nights. And I wasn't too bad really, I was under the covers before 1:00 am! I had finally gotten all the pieces cut for Evie's quilt a couple nights ago, and I was itching to piece it all together! Cutting all that fabric is not my favorite part of sewing, too many precise measurements, double checking and all that up-tight stuff. But that is done now, and I didn't make any fatal flaws as far as I can see. Whew! Sew, sew, sew and now the front of the quilt is done and it's good to see it all together.

It's been quite the process.

I wanted to keep the design simple, since the rug's design is elaborate.

Nothing in the stores was right with the rug! Oh my, the rug is the reason we couldn't settle for just any bedding. This rug is the. Most. Beautiful! Thank you, thank you to Bill and Andrea for passing it on from Molly's room and blessing us with it! 

I had to attempt something equally beautiful to compliment the rug. It was a good excuse to go fabric shopping at Sarah's in Lawrence. ( I get more excited than anyone should over that place, my behavior there could be qualified as manic!) That is what I got to do for my birthday.

These are what I picked out. I admit this is not all that I bought.

I especially like this print.

And am in love with these colors. (Not surprising to me that this one is from designer Kaffe Fassett, one of my favorites.)

And this is what I've done so far.

I need to get some stuffing and figure out the back still... but the hardest part is done! Hmm... now for some pillows, and curtains, and...