And then it's back to work...

A-G-A-I-N.

Returning to work has been quite an adjustment for our family over the past two weeks. I forgot how much extra planning and extra effort it takes to make the mornings and evenings, when we're all together, work smoothly. It seems like the first few days of the week go alright... because we're used to 3 day work weeks. But after that, the boys start asking for our next, "home day," and I know I'm wishing for it too. I miss my sewing and creative times and I keep reminding myself that it's for a short time. I guess this is a good thing since I was wondering at what age (for the boys) returning to work full time would make sense and my big answer has so far been, "NOT YET!" I surely have enjoyed this weekend and Mother's Day and I have felt really appreciated by my family.
We really loved our, "home day" on Saturday.






I really loved Ryan's Mother's Day card to me. He cracks me up.




I've really enjoyed my weekend and while I'm optimistic and upbeat about the week to come, I'll still be looking forward to our next, "home day."

Easter 2011

This Easter, we first went to church, then straight to Grammy's in Clovis.  I quickly snapped a picture of the boys in the yard before we left before anyone got a chance to get dirty.  I can't believe that they both looked at the camera at the same time and smiled.  Unbelievable.

When we got to Grammy's, the boys were both tired and hungry.  I fed them a quick lunch since I knew we'd be eating later, then Jack elected to go, "Nigh-nigh."  Ryan said he wanted to rest with his eyes open so he wouldn't miss the egg hunt.  He was so afraid that if he closed his eyes, all of the other kids would beat him to the eggs and he would get nothing.

Finally after a long rest while keeping his eyes open, it was time for the hunt.  Jack wanted to open each egg he found and eat any candy that might be inside.  Rushing him to get another egg was not part of his plan.  Therefore, he got 3 eggs and was fine with that.  His only disappointment was that money is not candy and you can't eat it.

Jack is really into saying, "cheese," for each picture so these goofy looks are getting pretty common.

Ryan's Loot

"Cheese"

Finding Eggs

Lastly, Ryan decided to do some more photography after the hunt was over.   The pictures are pretty interesting.  Despite my little lesson on not cutting people's heads off, to which he replied, "Your head is still there," he still doesn't quite have it down.  I quickly bent over in an effort to be in his photo as a whole and this is what we came up with.  We will practice more.

Morro Bay

This past week, we went to Morro Bay for a little vacation.  We had a really nice time and enjoyed some beautiful coastal weather.  Jack was obsessed with the water as usual.  I kept telling him, "Danger!" when he went to close, which he translated as a word he should use for everything, including his stinky diapers.  Pretty funny kid.

Doesn't Ryan look sweet in this one?  Don't be fooled.

These pictures are a more accurate reflection of the boys.

Ryan has also decided that he is in to taking pictures.  Here is a non blurry photo that he took with my head still intact.  I can't wait till we can go back again.  We never seem to have enough time to do all the things we want to do while we're there.

I can't wait till we can go back again.  We never seem to have enough time to do all the things we want to do while we're there.

Bobbins and Boys

I have been thinking about the name of my blog and how it lacks originality and how I really don't like the fact it advertises may last name on the internet. I thought the name "Bobbins and Boys" was certainly fitting for me and eliminates half the problem of removing my name. Now if only I could fix the URL... but that seems to be a little difficult. Anyway, this whole renaming thing made me realize that I haven't changed the look of my blog in quite some time. I hadn't really noticed this since I read my blogs through an RSS feed and have been using my iPhone to post as of lately. Anyway, I've spent most of the boys' nap time today giving the blog an overhaul, a "spring cleaning" if you will. I'm pretty pleased with it and I've enjoyed learning how to mess around with designing my header with Keynote and iPhoto.

I don't think I'm going to have as much time to post over the next few weeks since I'll be working full time until school is out, but I am going to try. Bear with me over the next 5 weeks and I'm sure I'll have a lot to post once summer rolls around.

Cynthia Rowley Dress Simplicity Pattern 2443

I wanted to order this dress from Boden this year for Easter, but it was $95 and back ordered for 15 weeks. As luck would have it, my friend Laura gave me Simplicity pattern 2443 which I figured I could alter and copy the Boden dress.

I did have some trouble adding the detail on the bodice, but overall, I'm pleased with the dress. I am also happy that it ended up costing me $35 instead of the $95. I also think the back came out nicely.

Now back to my stack of other unfinished projects.

Embracing the Weather

Today it was pretty warm so the kids and I decided to embrace the weather. Ryan found the sprinkler and we hooked it up together. I'm sure my neighbors appreciated all the squealing going on in the yard, but we sure had a blast. Here are some pictures of our afternoon.

Unfurnished Quilt by Film in the Fridge

I entered "Project Mode" on Saturday morning. For those that don't know, or have not experienced this phenomenon, this is when all other basic needs such as sleep, nourishment, and hydration, become secondary, or even tertiary concerns to the project at hand. The project has the driving force of a freight train on the individual and one is unable to focus on anything else. Frequent, "mmm-hmms," are heard from a person in Project Mode that one is may be trying to converse with. A supportive spouse who also can, at times, delve into project mode and therefore has a personal understanding of the condition is also needed to survive this time period. When quilting in this mode, one does math in one's head while supposedly sleeping and is constantly calculating yardage and counting blocks needed. This mode is what drove me to finish my king sized quilt top in a matter of 4 days. Ridiculous, I know, and I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but it's the truth.

I do have to say my previous calculations on yardage were off. I ended up doing an extra column of blocks and I still had extra blocks left over. I think that from the pattern I used, I cut my blocks on the wider side of her measurements, which is what led to the excess. I do have to say that this quilt has a TON of waste, but I don't see how the "wonky" look could be achieved otherwise. I did piece my quilt a little differently. I chain pieced all the sashing. I cut sashing 3"x wof (width of fabric) for all steps of sewing sashing to the blocks to eliminate some of the waste. I do think the chain piecing helped me complete the project way faster than what was written in the directions. This quilt was very enjoyable to piece and I would recommend it, although a lap quilt size might be a little more fun. Now I need to figure out the backing.