We love the rain

I know not everyone appreciates the many inches of Florida rain as much as I do, but I absolutely love it!  I spent my last 3 years in dry climate so the rain here is so refreshing.  They're usually accompanied by loud thunderstorms, which I also love.  I don't remember appreciating the rain as much when I lived in Boston but that's probably because I was always forced to walk in it and couldn't seem to keep dry.  Now I get to enjoy it from my 2nd floor condo that overlooks a small lake.  It's a dream.  Annie loves it as well and always wants to be held so she can reach out and touch the rain.  I definitely count the rainfall and our beautiful view of it as a major blessing in our lives.   

A Day at the Beach

I've lived near the beach for 5 months now and am surprised by how few beach trips we've taken since then.  But by the end when Annie was covered from head to toe in sand, I remembered why we didn't go more often.  She sure does love it, though.  

Someone told me that baby powder gets sand off and it's the beset advice ever!  Annie looked like a little snowman on the drive home.

Interesting walk at Turkey Creek

We are fortunate to live in a beautiful city with some fun recreational places to visit.  One of them is called Turkey Creek.  It is a free park with an almost 2 mile long boardwalk following a creek.  There are a lot of benches along the way for the weary to rest and several swimming spots for people to jump in the creek and cool off.  If you bring your own flotation devices then you can actually float the creek from one end to the other.  We haven't tried that yet but I would love to.  I also appreciated the signs along the way explaining the trees and other plant life.  

Annie loves pushing her own stroller. 

There was also plenty of bugs and insects to see.  Thankfully Annie doesn't like them either so I don't have to worry about her touching them and grossing me out.

A little rest in the shade from the walk.  You can see the sweat on her forehead.  The humidity and heat sort of slow us down.  

I'm grateful for these nice little spots that are free to visit so we can enjoy the outdoors.

My love of sewing....and my little model

Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I've found a love for sewing.  My history with sewing isn't very long at all.  As a graduation gift to myself in 2010 I bought a sewing machine.  Oddly, I can't recall for sure why I wanted one so badly but I'm grateful that I bought one.  I don't think I even took it out of the box for 6 months after it arrived because of how crazy my life was with getting married, moving out from my apartment, James' going to the field for a month, moving to California, sending James off to Afghanistan, moving back to Boston, and then finally moving to Watertown from Brighton.  In my Watertown apartment I had a roommate that was an amazing seamstress and she showed me how to work my sewing machine. (Far left girl)

 Since I was married I attended a different ward than my roommates, and I made a friend in that ward who also was a great seamstress.  She offered to get together with me and teach me some sewing skills.  I loved it!  I felt it was one of the blessings the Lord gave me for enduring my crazy life. :) 

After moving to California for the final time I was really busy with my new job and new marriage so I still didn't sew very much, just some Christmas decorations.  When Annie was born I couldn't find a reasonably priced blessing dress that I liked so I sort of developed the wild idea that I could just sew one myself.  I looked around for ideas and then bought a pattern and fabric.  I knew at the time it probably wouldn't look that great but I worked really hard on it and tried my best to follow the directions perfectly.  Now that I've learned so much more about sewing I can easily see how home-made it looks but at the time I was so proud that I had sewed it all by myself. Since that time a love and interest in sewing really grew.

I mostly sewed clothing for Annie but a few months ago I decided to sew clothes for myself.  I'm still not that great but I greatly enjoy the process of taking a big piece of fabric and slowly constructing it into something wearable.  I'll occasionally get up from my sewing machine and try my clothes on to see how the fit looks.  I guess Annie thinks it looks fun and she always wants a turn to wear whatever it is I'm trying on.  I'm such a lucky girl to have a tiny model to try my clothes on. :)

So here we are today, very early September and I've just had the itch to get started on Annie's Halloween costume.  I've been sitting on some costume patterns and fabric for a while now and just got the urge to get started.  I really liked the Tangled costume pattern so I think that's what she will be for Halloween.  Because the patterns don't usually fit her body well I always have to do some muslin fittings first.  Instead of muslin, though, I used cheap bed sheet materials to cut and baste together the bodice and check the fit on her.  Using the pattern pieces exactly for her size produced a lower cut than I would prefer and I thought the bodice seemed a bit short for her torso, especially considering that this fitting already looked short including the seam allowance.
  

Since I didn't like the pattern fit I altered the pattern a bit to raise the neckline and extend the bodice down.  I think this works much better.  When I sewed Annie's costume last year I had to readjust the pattern 4 times before I found a fit that worked for her.  I'm glad Annie enjoys trying my projects on. 

I'm still not really good at sewing and have tremendous amounts to learn but I just love the process so much.  Sewing is also a huge blessing to me since I'm no longer in school or working, I really need an activity to keep me learning and challenging myself.  I only wish sewing were a cheaper hobby. :) 

Annie needed a shave

Annie loves her dad.....a LOT!  Look up the definition for the term "daddy's girl" and you will see a picture of Annie and her dad.  James was shaving the other morning and Annie wanted to copy.  James obliged and she walked over to me so proud that she also had cream on her face looking just like her dad.  :)  

She still tries to use his toothbrush and deodorant.  She can never quite remember where the deodorant goes but she will lift up her shirt and tap the deodorant on her tummy, or her arm, or her leg.  It's so funny to watch.  I'm grateful that James is the type of father that loves to teach and play with his kid(s).  Annie is a lucky girl to have a Dad that cares so much for her. :)