Sweet Sixteen...

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So so Happy today!  {biggest smile}

Thrifty Finds...

Seven yards of  lovely fabric for $10: a deal or what?! And that lovely pitcher was apparently made for Restoration Hardware. I will use it for my Pernod drinks this summer: Yum!

PS I've added the little star reflections to the pitcher, just to give it a bit more pizzazz...

Go Zags!

Yesterday the big decision was made that Master C. will be going to Gonzaga University next Fall! What a relief to finally know where he is going. He called me yesterday from over there (after the tours etc) and I could hear both the relief and his enthusiasm coming through. (he doesn't usually show much enthusiasm  so I will take every little bit I can get!)

Gonzaga (pronounced Gone-ZAG (zag like bag) - uh) is about a 4 hour drive to the East from here, across the mountains and into the wheat fields. Even though he will still be living in the same state as us, everything looks very different over there 'on the other side', so it will really feel like a new place to him. Truly exciting times!  {smile}

In the mean time we are enjoying some absolutely wonderful weather here. Today will be the last day unfortunately, so I will be spending it outside as much as possible. In all the excitement yesterday (while I was awaiting 'the phone call') I forgot to put on sunscreen and that was quite a mistake: I see red!  <wink>

The garden of course is doing just fabulous and here are a few moments in the sunshine...

And oh yes: it is Friday!!!  {smile}

Sewing For Baby...

Devided Basket pattern found here and the Zippered Pouches here 
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I did some more sewing for a baby who will be here within the next month or so. You can always use a little bit of extra storage, either for diapers, wet wipes, burp cloths etc. I loved the vintage looking (but new!) fabric  for the outside and added some tiny polka-dotted green and red fabrics from my stash. Another quick and fun sewing project!

Liebe Grusse Aus...

We spent yesterday afternoon in The Netherlands...

Not!  <wink>

No, we didn't fly all the way to Holland (which would be at least a ten hour flight!), but we did spent the afternoon between the tulips, daffodils and the cows. We drove to Skagit County (about 75 minutes North from here) and drove around the tulip fields: it was glorious!

Believe it or not but I have never visited the tulip fields in my own country, ever! I know, I don't understand it either. Anyway, it was really pretty up there in Skagit County, especially also since the sun was shining. It had been about a week since we had seen the sun and all rain records for the month of April have been broken...

We drove around just on a whim and ended up at a fabulous pasture with cows in it. Behind me was a dike with a river behind it and in front of me pastures as far as the eye could see and glorious cows in them! (and the smells too!) It truly felt just like visiting my dad's place and going into the 'polders' (fields) behind his house in Muiden: inhale - exhale!    {biggest smile!}

We also came across lots of nice real-estate and beautiful old barns...

Miss M. came along and I made a few pictures of her in between the flowers...

Truly a nice afternoon, especially after all the university stress that we are in with our oldest. We have one more week left to decide. This week he and Mr. G. are going on an overnight trip (4 1/2 hours one way) to visit Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Let's hope this will be the one!

Adventures in Sewing...

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After sewing so many dresses lately, I thought it might be fun to sew a skirt again. This one is a mixture of two patterns. The main skirt is #M5591 and the scalloped edge is from #M6322. 

It might be a bit difficult to see in these pictures, but there were a lot of pleats in this pattern! Two boxpleats in the front, two in the back and several regular pleats both front and back. These pleats aren't that difficult to sew in itself, but just rather finicky. I added the scalloped edge for fun, but don't think I will use it again. I just couldn't get the turning points between the scallops to lay nice and flat. (and yes, I did snip the access in the back)

Anyway, it was a fun project, but now I'm ready to do some more baby sewing. I had a little bit of inspiration over the weekend and made these little pairs of pants and diaper covers. I gave them to the expectant mother-to-be already because I was so excited about them myself and couldn't wait any longer!  <wink>

'Made-by-Rae' pattern

'Made' pattern

Those diaper covers were once again rather finicky with the elastic in the legs, but the pants were super duper easy. I've left the elastic in the waist band rather loose, so that they can adjust that waist line once the baby is born...

Now I want to start on that new baby project (which I can't show you yet, since the receiver reads here), but first I will have to deal with this MESS!!!

Wow, this is what happens when the creative juices get flowing...  {smile}

The Light!

Some pretty light pictures from the last two days...

Above some dark clouds approaching with the sun right behind it and below right after some interesting thunder and lightning last night. (very rare for this area)

PS I've added my blog to 'Bloglovin'. Apparently the Google Reader will stop working in the coming months and so you can still follow me there. I don't really understand what it means, but hopefully you do!    <wink>
You can find my 'follow' button/ link at the top of the sidebar above my profile picture... 

Very Touching 'Little Bit' Video...

Featured (please click on the colored word to get to the video) is not one of  'my own' riders but it could have been. So happy to be a part of this fabulous program!  {big smile}

A Little Present...

Today, the weather felt like a little present...
(especially after all the nasty ice stuff from yesterday)

Front yard...

Lots of sunny intermezzo's which  were nice and somewhat warm. Unfortunately more and more clouds are drifting in and it is cooling down once again, but I've spent several hours outside. First in running mode which took just about all my energy from me, and then in weeding mode. Very nice indeed!

Hope your Sunday contained lots of light as well!

PS Yesterday  I spotted these birds at the feeder. I had seen them flying around in Washington State before, but never so close or at the house. What a cool bright red spot they have underneath their wings!

Those little brown birdies in the foreground are the females.
Amazing that they can look so different!

What the...?!

Look what we woke up to this morning:

All ice!!! I just couldn't believe it...

Unfortunately that mood has stayed with me the rest of the day and I think I'd better take a little nap now to snap out of it. (it is 2 o'clock in the afternoon)

Anyway, I do have some nicer pictures to share with you. Check out the sneaky pesky baby squirrel. I was able to walk right up to the feeder (very slowly of course) and take a few good pictures.

I also snapped a few nice garden pics for the two minutes the sun came out a couple of days ago.

The only good thing about this weather is that I'm getting some sewing done. Check out my latest dress!  {smile}

I was quite pleased with the finished product. This morning I've been working on some little baby garments for a friend of mine who is due in about a month or so. Since she checks out this blog as well I cannot show them right now, but soon...

Now for my nap...

Another Fabulous Day At Little Bit!

This past Tuesday was the first day (for me) to be having real lessons at 'Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center'. And then I mean at the new location. I must say I was feeling some anticipation about it, but oh boy, it was fabulous!

The new arena is open at three sides and what a difference in noise level that makes. Everything was so nice and calm and quiet. We could hear the birds really well (especially those crazy Canadian Geese that flew right over our heads) and looked at all the Spring Blossoms around us. We took in all these new features through our own eyes and the eyes of our riders. I can only imagine how big this change is for them....

Below is a nice collage of the three riders we had in the arena today. The two girls on the left and right are 'my' riders: aren't they the cutest!  {smile} The other rider was giving his horse lots of loving after the lesson: so sweet to see this!

Click on picture to enlarge...

Of course I couldn't have taken all these pictures while I was volunteering. No, all these pretty pics were once again taken by Miss M., my lovely daughter who will be turning 16 in only a matter of weeks! How time flies... Thank you Miss M. for sharing such an important part of my life. Just look at all the details she picked up while observing the lessons and wandering around the facility...

The new barn also came with a new barn cat, meet Oscar:

It was indeed a great day and you know what? I'm going again this afternoon!  {smile}

PS: I don't usually post photos of myself here (since I am usually the one behind the camera), but this one shows perfectly how content and happy I was right at that moment...

Straight out of camera, no photo editing...

PS again: The pictures of the riders were published with the parents' permission.

Ramblings...

On this very dreary Sunday afternoon (we've had so much rain the last four days: the rivers look like they are going to explode!) I still have a few pics to share with you from this past week.

For starters I found my favorite candy (candy corn!), not in Halloween Orange but in Easter Pastels! How awesome looking is that?  (and tasty as well)   <wink>

Then sometime during the week my  sister over at Pike Street asked me about our Zebra Finches. Remember how I bought a male and a female one around this time last year and how 'all of a sudden' we had a nest with eggs? 

Well, we ended up with four babies, three boys and one girl. Once we knew what sexes we had (the colorings took a few weeks to show themselves), we managed to separate the girls from the boys (don't ask me how) and now we have two cages. They are chirping away as we speak I write this and are a happy bunch indeed!  {smile}

I also came across these two cool 'wild' birds in the front yard:

And  will end this rambling session with some pics I took in the backyard just now. You can see how much rain has fallen with the picture of my boots in the lawn.

Because of the crazy heavy rains we've been having, 
all the blossoms are falling to the ground like snow...

Mr. G. should be back from China a bit later in the week and the kids and I can't wait!
It will have been a long 10 days, especially because of the distance. At least we've been able to communicate with him on and off through texting. (they are 15 hours ahead of our time so only a small window of opportunity there) I've seen a few pics from the students and spotted Mr. G. doing some fancy Tai-Chi moves on a square somewhere in Beijing!  {smile}