Weekend in San Francisco

Shane had a work thing in San Francisco on Monday so we decided to go with him for a little weekend adventure.  Molly has become quite the little traveler and feels right at home on a plane...she especially loves the little treats we pack (pretzels and marshmallows) and starts looking through the carry on as soon as we get to the airport to see what kind of surprises we have in store.  Here she is with the pain au chocolat we grabbed for dinner.  It was love at first bite.  Poor Shane.  I think he was expecting to get more than a bite or 2!

Molly was also introduced to sourdough bread, which she loved (or maybe she was just really hungry!)  Shane and Molly got chili in a bread bowl from the popular Boudin Bakery.  I enjoyed the gluten free snacks I'd brought from home.  Don't feel sad that I missed out - we found a yummy bakery with gluten free cupcakes for me.

We stayed with James and Lindsey (Shane's sister) and loved spending time with them!  We're hoping to go back again soon.

We took a ferry over to Alcatraz and did the tour there.  

Very interesting!

 Hanging around in one of the cells at Alcatraz.

Molly and Linds

Quiet Book: FINISHED!!! (with the option to add on...)

Hooray!  I may be the worlds slowest sticher, but that just makes every completed project that much more meaningful!  Truth be told, I don't need a finished project to get excited.  Every little accomplished step is a victory for me.  Isn't this just about the cutest Quiet Book cover you've ever seen!  I didn't have a pattern,  but I knew I wanted handles, some kind of clasp and an inside pocket.  It took way more time than it should have for me to figure it all out, but I did it and learned so much in the process.  Hopefully all these new sewing skills will stick with me and make the next project go a bit quicker.

 Here's how it looks open.  I love the fabric!

 I was completely mystified about how to connect the cover to the metal rings holding the pages together.  I came upon the most brilliant idea online and I forgot to write down the site so I can't give proper credit.  I sewed a piece of ribbon down the center of the inside of the book cover leaving gaps for the metal rings to slip under.  Thanks to whoever came up with this genius idea!

 I sewed a pocket to the inside back cover for paper and pen or to tuck in a little treat.

 And here are the last 2 pages of the book, at least for now...

 I'm in love with these little felt finger puppets.  So cute and really not too difficult to sew!

 This page pales in comparison to the barn, but is still a great page for learning in and out or on and off (you can stick your hand in the glove).

All buttoned up and ready to go

 Here's my inspiration! 

Molly and Me

I love Mother's Day!  For a lot of years Mother's Day was a really hard day for me...a celebration of my greatest desire, my desire to be a mother.  Enter Molly and her sweet birth-mother Ana.  They have blessed me with the most precious gift and highest calling of all.  Motherhood.  I celebrate this every day when I look into the eyes of my beautiful baby.  I am a mother.

My little helper in the sewing room

 

Always ready with a smile

 Can you see the mischievous spark in her eyes?

 Mama's shoes

Spring Fun!

Molly has decided that she is officially part of our dining scene.  No more being buckled in (although she will sit in the booster seat...most of the time), no more cut up quesadillas (our lunch time staple), and "yes, please!" to any and all condiments whether she likes them or not!  She cracks us up! 

Her new favorite things is watching home videos on the computer and if ever she catches me sneaking off to check my email, she is right behind me to take custody of the keyboard.  Today she watched a 1 minute clip of her grandparents 6 times in a row.  As soon as it would finish she'd sign "more" and call out "Bampa" (Grandpa), making it hard to resist our little munchkin.  She knows what she wants and is getting to be quite dramatic when she doesn't get her way.  Luckily her crocodile tears can usually be consoled with a big hug!

Our church had a big Luau over the weekend.  I'm wearing a muu-muu that my grandma wore as a missionary on the Hawaiian islands back in the 70's.  I love it!

Shane had the 16-17 year old young men from church come over to our house and hear about his mission in Paris, France.  We made crepes for them to eat and Molly fell head over heels in love with nutella.

Show us that nutella grin!

 We had some leftover pudding from the Crepe Fest, so I let Molly try her hand at fingerpaintting.

It's delicious!