The better to see you with, my dear!

Little Miss Kyrie got glasses... pictures pretty much say it all! =)

 

The sewing machine has been humming!

 I'm not sure there's anything that brings on nostalgia quicker than the sounds and smells of your childhood! It hits me every time I pull out the serger... for some reason the sewing machine doesn't quite smell the same way!

I've been working on this project for awhile - too long - and since Kyrie wanted to be able to wear it for her school Christmas program, I figured I'd better get moving on it!

This pair of Jeans caught her eye while were were "back to school shopping" - I thought they were cute but I don't think there's anything modest about "skinny jeans" on a 7 yr old so I bought them with the plans to make them into a skirt! Found just the perfect Corduroy at Joann's Fabrics and an idea was born!

Here's pictures of most of the process. Kyrie & I were both happy with the finished product! =)

Knot your typical braid!

I always like trying somethign different on Kyrie's hair! Relyssa has been doing these knots http://pinterest.com/pin/339307607/ and they're cute - but Kyrie needs something that stays a little better at school. So I tried "gathering" knots today!

Loved how it turned out! Just start as you would with a french braid, but with two pieces. Tie in a knot, gather, tie another knot, etc, until the hair is used up!

  Happy Hair-do's!

Growing girls...

... have got to eat!
Kyrie has always been a great eater - especially the last 4 years. She can hold her own against most teenagers, and watch out when she hits a growth spurt! (They usually last at least 3 months!)

On Friday, she had a dermatologist appointment in Cheyenne so it was a great excuse for a mother-daughter shopping day! 

We started out with Red Lobster for lunch - no kids menu, thanks! She outgrew that when she discovered REAL shrimp - you know, the stuff withOUT the breading. And it's NOT offered in the kids menu! So Shrimp Scampi it was for her.  

(Along with 3 lobster & crab stuffed mushrooms and a good portion of mashed potatoes!)

After a long afternoon of shopping, we headed for the Wendy's drive-thru. She loves Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers, and asked "what comes with them?" I told her she could order fries with them but it didn't come in a meal. She's not really big on fries so I could tell that option wasn't going to do it. She told me "If you don't eat all yours, I'll just eat the rest." I told her she could always just order 2 jr. bacon cheeseburgers if one wasn't enough. She says "REALLY?! They let you do that?! Maybe we could pretend there is someone else in the back seat too!" After I ordered and was pulling up to the window, she reminded me NOT to tell them that TWO of those cheeseburgers were for her!

(she ate them both!)

 

Last Minute...

There's no time like the.. er... last minute!

  Today is Kyrie's school Fall Party. Not halloween party - FALL party. No costumes allowed. 

Last night, when I was tucking her into bed, she said "I want to wear something fancy for the fall party". Right... because we have a closet full of fancy clothes just waiting to be worn to school! Have you noticed, that there are VERY FEW "fancy" clothes out there for this age?! I don't want rock star, preppy princess or scull & crossbones, OR tween queen for my 6 yr old! Just some cute and maybe a few fancy clothes would be great, thanks!

  

  Back to the FALL party. So instead of coming up with something clever for her to wear for the fall party last night, I spent a few hours finishing my long overdue photo-editing. And this morning at 6:40 I decided to come up with something clever. Her ride was supposed to be here at 7:30... wonder WHERE I picked up the "last second gene"?! (Love you, Mom!)

  But really, who needs fancy clothes ready made in the closet when you have a hand-me-down-black-dress-for-next-year, photoshop, a printer, iron-on printer paper and an iron? (I burnt it - surely the teacher won't notice the slight stench - they should have given the directions for 1/8 page - 30 sec- BEFORE the directions for more than 1/2 a page - 3 minutes - just sayin'!)

  And we have a "fancy" outfit for the fall party! She wanted pictures taken too.

And we didn't make the 7:30 "bus" - I had to take her at 8:55 - but she was still smiling. Ah, small victories. =)

One Word...

One Word... What's one word that comes to mind when you look at this photograph?
  (click to enlarge)

I trust you'll treat her well.

Dear World:

...I bequeath to you today one little girl ... in a crispy dress ... with two blue eyes ... and a happy laugh that ripples all day long ... and a flash of light blond hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I trust you'll treat her well. 

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning ... and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine. Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Good Bye"... and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse. 

Now she'll learn to stand in line ... and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears to the sounds of school-bells ... and deadlines ... and she'll learn to giggle ... and gossip ... and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry. 

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in a sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn to kiss lilac blossoms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about important things. Like grades ... and which dress to wear ... and who's best friend is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes. 

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and father and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ... which is only right. But, no longer will I be the smartest man in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time ... she'll learn what it means to be a member of a group. With all it's privileges. And it's disadvantages too. 

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud. Or kiss dogs. Or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms. Or even watch ants scurry across cracks in the summer sidewalk. 

Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to become a woman. 

 




So, World. I bequeath to you today one little girl ... in a crispy dress ... with two blue eyes and a happy laugh that ripples all day long ... and a flash of light blond hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I trust you'll treat her well.

(Thank you, Lani, for the poem... and for making me cry!)

Today I sent my baby girl to School! Granted, it's only their 'evaluation day' and the real thing doesn't happen until Monday, but today was the first day of school, in our minds.
  Jim is in California and won't be flying home until tonight so she called him on the way to school. It was fun to listen to her tell him all the things she thought they might do!
  Good thing there was a parents meeting after I took her to her (temporary - teachers haven't been assigned yet) classroomm - no way was I going to go in there bawling and blowing my nose and making a scene! It was sad coming home without her though, with only one little boy in the vehicle... he thought so too!
  She was a bit nervous after she got in the classroom and realized her 'best friend' wasn't in the same room as her! I'm sure she got over it quickly and will be all smiles when I pick her up this afternoon... I know I will be!
 

Where did she go?

Someone once said to "Remember the last's". We're always so focused on the "First's" - first steps, words, first pig-tails... what about the last? When was the last time I kissed these chubby little girl cheeks? When was the last time I hugged this little toddler-girl, so vibrant and full of life? When was the last time I saw her and did I even notice she was gone??? (pic summer '08)

When did she turn into this little girl? The one who can count by 5's and can read and write all the names of her preschool classmates - the one who is learning to roller-blade? The little girl who prays so innocently for "help to be a good girl, for ever and ever"? (pic summer '10)

Time doesn't seem to be moving that quickly from day to day but I was shocked to see this picture of her that my Mom took, after having just come across the previous picture the day before. Have I spent enough time teaching her the important things? Have I made the right impressions on her to prepare her for the conflicting impressions that will be made as she starts Kindergarten in 3 weeks?

Feeling domestic

I've been feeling the itch lately to pull my new (to me) sewing machine and serger out and put them to good use! I've been drooling over several sewing blogs and tutorials and then last month I stopped in at Joanns and bought some adorable fabric. It's been rainy and wet the last few days so I decided it was time to start creating! I did most of it yesterday and last night and when Kyrie saw it she was begging for me to finish it so she could wear it to school. I finished it about 11:40 - in time for her to wear it to school at 12:05!
Here's the tutorial if you're interested!

It's great for twirling too!

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I would do a few things different next time... the tutorial doesn't say anything about what to do with the pockets in the back when you're cutting off the jeans, and I didn't want to pull them off so I just left the tops intact, took the seams out of the bottom part and then hemmed them under when the rest was done.
Next time, I'll make the denim part shorter so it's not so tight on her hips. But all in all, I really like it!
(and THANK YOU to those who donated old jeans for this project!!!)

Bakerella made me do it!

Title says it all. Bakerella made me do it!
Ok, I guess half the blame can go on Pioneer Woman because if it hadn't been for that fatefull day that I visited her blog and saw THIS, I would have never known that Bakerella even existed!

Kyrie's class Valentine's day party is tomorrow and I, being the over-acheiver that I am, signed up to bring treats. Not store bought treats of course, but something way more time consuming than any preschooler would appreciate!
Kyrie has been having fun helping me though, so if you don't mind the messy kitchen and messy kids and messy-rest-of-the-house-because-you're-not-paying-attention-to-anything-other-than-how-precisely-the-sprinkles-are-placed, then go ahead, check out the tutorial

(no silly, I didn't take my own step by step pictures!) and your kids will love you for it!

Speaking of "good" pictures...

I had to laugh this morning when I saw this on Dalayna's blog
Why? Because it brought back memories of Valentines day 2006 when I wanted some cute pictures of my Sweet little Valentine. Right. She had other ideas! At least I can look at them and laugh!