purple quilts

I made this full size quilt a couple of months ago with the intent of gifting it to a friend. However, once it was done I just couldn't give it away. It looked too much like something Alara would fall in love with. I was right. Purple is her favorite color and now this quilt is currently on her bed, next to Hundley with her special blanket. 

With the leftover scraps, I put together a doll size version of the purple quilt. I'm not sure which one I like more...the full size or the doll size. 

Watching Alara swaddle her dolls (and storm-troopers) in her little quilt, while wrapped up in her big quilt makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And since it is about 40 degrees outside that's saying something. Cheers to staying warm and cozy.  

mystery books for early readers

As a kid I loved a great mystery book. I wanted to be Miss Marple, or Mandie Shaw when I grew up. Often I would stay up all night reading my favorite mystery series because I just had to know who did it. Mystery books are great for kids because they encourage readers to use logical thinking and deductive reasoning. They're also fun to read! This month, Lucas and I picked out some of our favorite mystery books from the library to share. Some of the books he was able to read, but mostly I read aloud to him.  Overall, he enjoyed reading/listening to the stories and tried to solve the mysteries right along with the characters.

1. Nate the Great by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat is the first book in this fantastic series about a pancake loving boy detective. In this book Nate is working on the case of the missing painting. He takes detective work seriously. This was a favorite for Lucas. He could relate to Nate's love for pancakes and enjoyed trying to solve the mystery of the missing painting. These books are clever and funny, and are perfect for early readers.

2. The A to Z Mysteries Series by Ron Roy was also a favorite for Lucas. As the name suggests..A to Z.., the book titles in this series follow the alphabet..The Absent Author, The Bald Bandit, The Canary Caper..etc. In The Absent Author, readers are introduced to detectives Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose. In this story the three friends have to figure out what happened to their favorite author!  This series is well written, the clues make sense and the author wraps up the mysteries in a way young readers can understand and feel good about solving. 


3. Miss Nelson is Missing by James Marshall is a favorite of mine. I used to read this book to my students when I worked as a substitute teacher. It is a fun read, and a great way to talk about classroom expectations. In the story, Miss Nelson's students have gone a little crazy! They won't stop talking, they won't do their homework and spitballs are flying everywhere!  Miss Nelson has had enough. She calls in sick and brings in the horrible, Miss Viola Swamp as her substitute. Miss Viola Swamp cancels recess and gives out lots of homework. When the students try to find Miss Nelson, no one knows where she is! After Miss Viola Swamp whips the class back in shape, the sweet Miss Nelson returns to a much better behaved and appreciative class.

4. Young Cam Jensen series by David Adler is a great series for early readers. In Young Cam Jensen and the Library Mystery, her father's shopping list has gone missing! Cam and her friend Eric put their brains together and solve the mystery of the missing shopping list. Out of the four books we read, this was the one that Lucas could read himself. He enjoyed the story, and illustrations that went along with the book. We are looking forward to reading more books from this series. 

little grey swing dress

January always sneaks past me. One minute it is December 31st, and the next it is February 1st. Someone is guaranteed to get sick, either from spending time with cousins and family during the holidays or at school. We get up in the dark, it is cold and the days are short. I have a mountain of to-dos that get pushed aside for the holidays, and bedtime can't come soon enough!

To combat the January blues, I decided to test out my new sewing chair that my husband gave me for Christmas. I had this super soft and comfy grey knit fabric that I had purchased a couple of months ago.

After eyeing several swing dresses in the store, I decided that I should try and make one myself. It didn't look complicated and honestly my super soft grey fabric was of a better quality then most of the swing dresses I found in the store.

Turns out that swing dresses are super easy to make and now I'm on the look out for a fun and bright fabric to make more for summer.

Please ignore the award posing in these pictures...I am not photogenic and I'm super awkward in from of a camera. 😄

updated diy dinning room and living room

My husband and I kicked off the new year with one little and one big diy project. I love the look of picture frame shelves. After searching the internet, I quickly realized that buying the shelves in store in the size that I needed would be costly. My husband made these shelves in one afternoon for about $20. I'm seriously debating about adding one more shelf under the bottom one. 

The wainscoting project was a lot of work. I love how the project turned out. My husband did a beautiful job. However, unless you love to measure and sand for hours, I wouldn't recommend this diy. Also, skip any and all pinterest tutorials that suggest "shortcuts," "getting the real look for less" and "do it in one day." Installing wainscoting correctly takes time. 

In the end, I am in love with both projects. Can't wait (although I'll probably wait a few months before suggesting the next project) to see what else we do in the near future.