baby blooms

I have been working on a new order for The Spotted Goose - smaller barrettes for babies seem to be in demand!  I personally love a big bloom on a little girl, but I guess I am not as typical as most when it comes to taste.  I really liked working on the design for the new style.  I get a lot of satisfaction out of coming up with designs and color combinations that I haven't seen before.  I know that felt barrettes are nothing new, but I do try to be original and not take someone else's creativity.  I hope that others will have the same respect for me!  You would think these would take less time, but they really do not - must be the scale and working smaller.  These haven't been completely stitched together yet - hope to finish them up tonight and give them that special touch.  I also have some fruit barrettes, some flat flowers and some ponytail poms to work on this week.  The big incentive to get my order done... new running shoes with my pay!

artworks

Today Lio brought home his artwork for the quarter from his kindergarten art class.  Here's the picture he drew and painted of our house.  It's pretty cute (even after going to the art show and realizing there was a "formula" to follow since everyone's looked just about the same)!

 
This is his self-portrait that was on display at the Amelia library.  Love those thumbs!  (Paloma even commented on how chubby they were!)  Love those ears!  Just a year ago I remember how upset I was when his pre-school teacher said he wasn't drawing stick figures yet.  I knew this wasn't true because he was drawing detailed dinosaurs at home.  

He hasn't sat down to draw in a really long time.  It used to be the first thing he did when he got up in the mornings.  I hope he gets back to it, but lately he says that he isn't good at drawing.  He just wants everything to look realistic and perfect, and gets upset when he can't do it.  I can relate to how he feels, but wish I could help him get over it!  

new shoes

Love these new shoes.  Love the girl who wears them.

Cookie Fiasco

Ok, so the preparations that have kept me busy for the past couple of days involved making Lio's birthday dragon cookies.  It literally took me 2 days to create them, and I have to say that I am disappointed in how they turned out.  I used my new favorite sugar cookie recipe - makes the fluffiest cookies that aren't too sweet.  That was my 1st mistake.  The dragon cookie cutter was so big that the soft cookies couldn't take the pressure.  The 2nd problem was the cookie cutter itself - it didn't lay flat and had so many intricate edges that made the cookies hard to cut out.  Between the cutting out and baking, many many dragons lost wings, tails and heads.  And did I mention that because of the size I could only bake 5 at a time?  

The frosting didn't go much better.  It was late, I was tired, I gave up on going for the detail.

I had to individually wrap cookies for Lio's class.  Yes!  You guessed it - more broken cookies.  

Since Lio doesn't care too much for cake or cupcakes, I feel like I should go all out on his cookies.  I guess next year I should start a week early!  I think he liked them, though.

  

no more

I really did have hopes of posting little glimpses of Lio's birthday today.  We did truly have a wonderful day - a perfect day for him.  It was all about Lio - things he liked to do and see.  But in the midst of his great 6th Birthday, Paloma was sick.  Coughing, stuffy nose, fever, throwing tantrums sick.  So between giving them both the attention they needed, there was time for no more.  Fill you in later!

Birthday Wishes from a Dragon

Today is Lio's 6th Birthday!!!  (Preparations have kept me busy, so that's why no posts for a few days.  Maybe I'll do a few extra today to share the festivities.)  

A few days ago, Lio wrote a letter to a dragon and placed it outside.  Today, of all days, the dragon visited!  How do we know?  We have proof.  There are scorch marks on the letter that Lio left for him, and the dragon decided to leave his own message for Lio on a rock.  It was written in dragon script, of course, so Lio decoded the message right away.

Here is what the message said:

What a magical way to start the day!

1st game - Go Panthers!

Tonight was Lio's 1st T-Ball game!  I was so proud of him.  He didn't seem nervous at all, and once he realized that the big trophy comes at the end of the season, not after the 1st game, we were all good.  The purple Panthers were in the outfield first, and Lio actually stopped a rolling ball and threw it in.  After that, any ball that was in his area he ran after!  It was pretty cute seeing the little purple swarm go after those balls.  When it was his turn to bat, he did a great job and got to run through the bases.  I was pleasantly surprised at the "philosophy" of the T-Ball league - they don't keep track of runs, there are no strikes (if the kids don't hit the ball after 5 or so pitches they bring the T out - this is where Lio is), and they let everyone on the team have a chance at bat before the teams trade spots.  It's not competitive and was just lots of fun.  The other team's coach even helped our guys out when they were up at bat.  I hope Lio has fun, and that we have a great season.  Go Panthers!