Hometown Tourism

I have a confession to make: we have lots of beautiful historical places in our town and I have never been to most of them.
The hubby bought a membership to the History Center the other week, and now we can make up for lost time.
Yesterday we visited a local history hot spot, Fort Snelling.
There were historical reenactors,

period artifacts, and reproductions of same,

 just about the nicest weather we could have asked for,

 and at the end of our visit they even set off a giant cannon.

Both the Hubby and I had the same thought that we would love to return without the kids sometime, it was just that interesting.

I look forward to lots more hometown and homestate tourism throughout the summer months. 

Baby Knits, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.

Oh, what fun to whip up a teensy little sweater for a baby-to-be.
I have reached the point in my life when the majority of my friends who are my age have stopped having babies. Big kids are lots of fun, don't get me wrong, but they are also less likely to wear adorable sweaters and so when someone I know is pregnant I indulge myself a little in knitting for them.
I posted about this sweet knit earlier this week, and then got a little obsessed and finished it up.

Now, I didn't really need to rush this. The baby won't be here for a few months. Also, I have a couple of long bus rides coming up in a couple of weeks, so I will need a new project for that. But, just look at the tiny cuteness! I just couldn't resist.

Knitting Again

A work friend is having a baby, and what better excuse to cast on a new sweater. This is he Sunnyside Cardigan. It's coming out a little small, but I have hope that it'll all work out.
What are you working on today?

Catching Up

Well, Holy Buckets, it's been almost a month since I posted last. 

We have been very busy visiting the woods,

 the river,

and the zoo.

Then there's the gardening.
This house has a lovely yard, but it was pretty neglected after having been on the market for the better part of a year. So, I have been spending hours every day clearing out weedy places, moving around plants,

 I built a couple of raised beds for veggies (I am so thrilled to have some sun in my yard! The old house had lovely shade, which made it ideal for hiding from the summer heat but not so ideal for growing foodstuffs)

 Things are taking off!

There has been a considerable amount of furniture scooting as well.

We have some lovely crannies and nooks that I wanted to highlight with small seating areas. 

 Last fall my mom and I built the beginnings of this loose waddle fence. But I realized that the hillside at the back of our house was making me sad with all of its dead wood and crumbling piles of stones. So, last week we modified the fence, added an archway entrance, and started clearing out the muck.

As I was digging down to put in some stairs, I found that there were some there already! 

It's a bit of a mud hole right now, but I have dreams of a fairy-tale playhouse in the woods. (if you can call an area 20' x 15' the woods)

The other big project on my agenda is the school play.
The grandfather of one of our actors offered to build our set pieces, and they're taking shape! We had a painting party a couple of weeks ago, and now it's detail time.

 This one is a hardware store.

Anyway, I have missed checking in here, so I won't be away again for quite so long.

Exciting Post

Last Summer my dear friend took a dream trip to London to see Benedict Cumberbatch play Hamlet, among other exciting touristy things in the area. 

Her dear friend and travel partner was excited to see a friend from University who has made a name for herself in the book world with her Cat Adventure series the Warriors Books. 

Yes, they had tea with Erin Hunter herself. 

The Eldest just happens to be a HUGE Warriors fan, and my friend took along her good wishes.

Erin Hunter graciously offered to send The Eldest a signed copy of her favorite book and it came today!

                                 

She ran upstairs with it a couple of hours ago, and I don't anticipate seeing her again.
Thanks so much to Erin Hunter! This is one elated lady.

The Evolution of an Acorn

A few years ago another mom and I were bemoaning the fact that the school didn't put on a play (in fact there had been a play in the past, and it was a reason that both of us had chosen the school for our kids) so we decided to start one ourselves. 

The first year we chose a number of Aesop's Fables and the kids wrote their own skits. Last year we got permission from Mo Willems to use his books and we put on 11 vignettes which were basically Gerald and Piggie books acted out. (Mo Willems writes such brilliant dialog, we didn't need to change a thing)

This year my friend and I tackled the story and script on our own. 

It's a variation on a number of fairy tales mainly focused on The Three Pigs. 

We were planning on 15-18 kids participating and we got 30 which was so exciting, but it meant that we had to expand the script. We decided to add some frolicsome squirrels to help with scenery changes and if you have squirrels you need acorns.

 The plan is to choreograph a dance with these giant acorns. So I made one up. The pattern I devised made less of an acorn and more of a peanut. I also dedicated too much effort into details that wouldn't read from the stage.

 So, I amended the cap, and extended the bottom. It was still a little round for my liking. Also after a dry run with the kids the handle pulled too much on the seams so that had to go.

 The next few acorns came out a little better; pointer nut, no handle, fun to toss and catch.

We haven't finished the choreography yet, so I don't know exactly how many we need, though I think I'll make up at least one more for an even half-dozen.
What's sparking your creative fire today?
Joining Nicole for KCCO.

Four!

A very happy birthday to my smart, funny, fearless, happy, beautiful girl