Check out the smoke coming off the mountain. This is looking across the street from our house. It was July 1, and ash was falling on everyone's cars. Nette Griffin took a picture and posted it on Facebook of a black leaf that fell on her head.
On June 29 I finished Jill's dress. The next evening I made did the headband. And on July 1, a week before the baptism I had planned to take Jill to the Temple for a photo shoot. Nothing fancy. Just cell phone pictures. But since she's a girl I knew she'd love that, and we had to do some sort of photo shoot with this dress!
When we got there I told her we could take pictures wherever she wanted, and then I followed her around, taking pictures and watching her be her cute self. It was so fun. It was fun to watch her feeling so pretty. This picture is the first spot she picked.
Making this dress was kind of an adventure for me. I could have borrowed a sewing machine, but I wanted to give it a go without one. I'm ready to get a sewing machine now, though. ;) Gotta save my pennies. :)
Jill and I looked at lots of patterns and dresses before settling on this one. She loved the scalloped hem, and so do I! The pattern had no sleeves, but it had a little bolero jacket. She said, "I don't want a jacket!" I think she gets tired of wearing them with her Sunday dresses. So I found a pattern that Mama passed down to me years ago that has puffy sleeves, and we just used those. I was surprised how easily they fit in. It was like they were made for that dress.
The pattern piece that used the criss-cross on the front of the bodice actually had spaghetti straps, but there was another bodice in the same package that had what you see here. I just traced that criss-cross pattern onto this bodice, and it worked fine. Also, she wanted beads on the dress, so after I put down the criss-crossed ribbon on the bodice I traced the ribbon with clear glass beads. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I also put a line of beads at the top of the sleeve band. And for the headband I just made another rose like on the dress and then made a leaf about the right size. Then I made leaf veins with beads. I was also quite pleased with that. The headband was off-white, and I did kind of a sloppy job covering it, but from the top you really couldn't tell.
And as for sewing by hand, patterns are easy to follow anyway. It just takes longer to sew by hand. It took me like 2 months, though I wasn't able to work on it every day, nor for long periods of time each time I did work on it. I'm sure Jeremy was probably annoyed when I was working on it in the evenings. I try not to sew when he's home because it stresses him out because I tune everything out. But I didn't know what else to do. It was actually a good time for me to sew because the little ones then had someone else to climb on. And often we'd watch a show together while I sewed in the evening.
The only thing that I really found any amount of challenging was the gathers. The actual gathering wasn't so bad, but sewing the pieces together with the gathers was tricky and time-consuming. It's hard to make sure your stitches are small enough to hold together when it's gathered. I'm not sure how to explain that. I got the hang of it, though. I just went over my gathered spots 2 or 3 times to make sure they'd stay.
The dress came out pretty heavy. All those beads on the bodice plus the layers on the bottom really add up! The skirt had two layers of satin, plus a layer of netting, plus a slip with netting sewn on it like ruffles. And the top had lining as well. I like lining, though, because then I don't have to make facings, and I despise facings!
So there you go - the record of my epic undertaking. I'm really glad I did it. It was definitely worth it. I was quite pleased with all the customization I was able to do as well. It was quite enjoyable, and I'm a little sad it's done now. Jeremy won't like the idea, but it's time to find another project now. Ha ha!
I actually chose this spot. I think it came out great.
It probably was just too bright when we went. It was the middle of the day, and I'd been planning to go near sunset so it wouldn't be so bright, but we ended up going right then because the light was so pretty shining through all that smoke. It was all golden. Lovely.
Don't you love that pose? :)
In this photo and the next one she was looking around thinking where she wanted to go next.
Her dress is long past her toes, so she held it up when she walked. It really would have fit better all over if I'd made a size 7 instead of 8, but oh well. It was pretty and we were both happy with it. :)
This is at the church next to the Temple. I like these two. :)
Jill found some pink flowers that fell off this tree.
After this picture she climbed over the bench that she was behind, and it got ashes on her dress. Argh! I need to take the poor thing to che cleaner.
She saw a rabbit hop into the bushes and was really hoping she could find it.
This is the one we displayed at her baptism. I just loved how the green grass looked with her dress. Pretty girly. :)
The whole time she kept saying she wanted to take one of me too. I was not dressed for it, but I finally gave in if she'd be in it with me. :)
Timmy put a shirt in the back of his shirt like a cape and drew a blue cockroach. He said it was a sticker, so he taped it on his shirt. Later he made a square trash can out of paper. He is endlessly creative!
We went to some friends' house for an Elder's Quorum family party. It was fun. I followed Henry around, and he found this dog. It was a really nice one.
Henry, Bubby, and Timmy
They found the trampoline and jumped with our friends Chelsea and Gavin Lauritzen. Gavin is in our nursery class.
Timmy was being silly. Usually when we go shopping on Saturday it's just Jeremy and me, but this time we brought Timmy and Henry. They are actually pretty good little shopping partners.
Timmy found our long lost Chitty Chitty Bang Bang discs and was so happy. He kept trying to watch that movie, even though the disc is pretty much unplayable after about 5 or 10 minutes in. He even made this fancy case for it.
Cute Bubby loves his Mickey Mouse.
They keep taking over our bed that last couple of weeks. Ugh. It makes me wake up with headaches because I can't support my neck properly when Henry tries to burrow into it. And a week or two ago I woke up on a Sunday morning laying in a puddle. Timmy had sneaked into our bed early in the morning and wet it. It still stinks. I've done all I know how to do to fix it and it didn't work this time. I need to work on it more, but when?!
It's just a good thing for them that I like them :)
Henry likes his bed. If we're upstairs when I change him he demands that we do it with him laying on his bed. I'm so glad he likes it! And once or twice a week he sleeps there all night. Progress!
Happy 4th of July! In Thatcher they do a fire engine wake up at 5:00 or 5:30 AM. I love it, and Jeremy hates it. It's like magic when I wake up with sirens in the distance and it really is the fire engine wake up! Hyrum and Bubby stayed asleep. Jeremy yelled, "I hate the 4th of July!" and went back to bed. The rest of us ran across the street to get on the fire trucks. I was planning to just walk with the other people, but I ended up riding too! Here are Jill and Timmy on a hose truck. I put them up there, but their older brothers didn't want that one. They wanted to wait and get in the cherry picker.
Timmy was still so sleepy!
These guys all climbed in, and then the fire fighter said, "Do you want to get in too? We'll throw your stroller up here too." So I hopped in there with Henry too. It was great! Loud, but great!
This truck behind us had a loud speaker, and they kept saying random things to people they saw along the route. None of them came out very clear, which means that Joshua was making up things that it sounded like the whole time. He's so good at that, and it's hilarious!
Benji
Michael is so funny lately. He likes to whine about things even when he's enjoying them. It was too loud, he said. Ha ha! He is definitely a tween.
Joshua helped cover BB's ears. (That's what he calls Henry lately."
Jill and Timmy were a couple of trucks ahead of us, so I was a little worried about finding them! I watched for them as we pulled into the parking lot at the church and saw them heading to the playground. Timmy actually went a little further over to the little stadium thingy they had set up, but, thank heavens, we found him! I let them and Henry play for a bit before we walked home.
They had the morning's festivities at the Thatcher Park next to the stake center this year. Usually, it's at the Middle School field, but there are forest firefighters housed all around there right now, so that was out. This worked good for us. They have the community band play for a while and then they have a patriotic program. After that they cut all the watermelon and cantaloupe that everyone was supposed to bring and then the fire truck hoses everyone down. We don't stay for the program because I don't think the kiddos would stand for that. So we didn't get watermelon or the hose-down, but that's ok. We did go to the free swimming at 9:00, and that was nice. We didn't go to the fireworks. Jeremy didn't want to go brave the crowds, and we don't know a nice non-crowded spot. I was bummed about that. But we logged into a free account on Warcraft and watched the fireworks at Thunder Bluff on there. That's something, anyway. And we'll have fireworks across the street for the 24th.
Henry actually didn't like the swing. He fussed to get out right away, so he was only in there for about 30 seconds.
I thought this looked so pretty, and that the mountain looked so non-smoky. :)
That evening we took a Pokemon Go walk and took Jill and Henry with us. Jill has had her scooter since Christmas and had never taken it further than the driveway, so we decided to let her this time. She had a great time.
Jill got this from church. They've been talking about missions the last couple of weeks. I liked the mission she got assigned to. :)
Michael made this in the summer reading program. It's straws and connectors. Pretty cool. He also made that long paper chain. They have a craft table in the main part of the library for the summer, and this is what they had to make last week.
During the teen summer reading program Michael went back into the big room and tried to finish this little house his group started. He got almost done making the supports when the ladies got upset with him and made him stop and vacate the room immediately. He would have been done in literally like 2 minutes, but they weren't going to wait that long. I thought that was dumb.
See that crack at the top of this wall? I never noticed it until last week. It's right above the garage. We got home from summer reading program, and just as we pulled up we saw a bat fly up under the eaves. It landed on the wall and climbed up into that crack! I didn't know we had bats there! Cool! We really should get a bat box for them. That would be a safer place.
One morning Jill came into my room, and I told her I wasn't ready to wake up yet, so she fell asleep like this. Ha ha!
We went and tried eating at the Pima cafeteria just for fun. I think we'll keep going now and then. I thought this was fun, though. We found Emmett's class picture on the wall there! :)
Bubby threw a fit because I put the honey on the wrong side of his sandwich.
Jeremy got a push mower and has been quite pleased with it. Look how that grass is doing! Yea, hunny! The kiddos like to help too.
Jill was baptized July 8, 2017. The baptism started at 10:30 AM and was at the Pima Stake Center. It was a big day! We shared it with Ryan. He got baptized that day too. And his little twin baby sisters were blessed after the baptism. And it was Brookie's 10th birthday too. We got there at about 9:45 and took some pictures while we waited.
I love how her flower on her headband looks like a little hat. (Did I say that already?)
It was quite an undertaking to get a family picture, but it was actually one of the least stressful family photo sessions we've ever had. I love how in all of them Jill is just standing there calmly. And Michael has a hair like a quail feather.
Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Badger for taking pictures for us! I think we did find a winner in here somewhere and will be printing it this weekend.
Jill with her Badger grandparents
At this point Jill was tired of waiting for the baptism to start. Aaron and Kenzie were running late and she was just ready to get baptized immediately!
Joshua put Henry down on her dress. It was funny. When she squatted down the dress poofed out like a marshmallow. I really should have found her a better petticoat or something to wear under it, but oh well.
Hyrum, Grandma, and Grandpa
Joshua and Benji
Jill with her cousin Jocee
Jocee is pretty much her best friend.
Jill with her Burk grandparents
Timmy wanted a picture too. Check out his cool shades!
Ryan, Aaron, and Evelynn
Here are those cute babies! They are both starting to chunk up just a little and to look more like their siblings. Love them!
We had lunch at the Pima Fire Station. Aaron volunteers there. He gave us a little tour of the building and gave the kids plastic fire hats and a ride in the fire engine. Joshua was being silly and putting his pinky in the air to be fancy, and Aaron said, "Thanks for volunteering, Joshua." He then had him stand outside and hand out hats to the kids as they went to get their ride.
This is Rob and Celeste. Celeste has gotten so tall! She passed me up a while ago.
This was during our little tour. He pointed out his cubby and said, "And this one belongs to a handsome bald guy." XD
I was so happy so many people could come! I just love my family so much! It was also fun watching little Taylor watch Trolls. She doesn't just watch it. She sings along with all the songs. Apparently, it's her current favorite, now that Moana is "old."
Noel
This is Paul and Carrie's cute dog Reggie. Henry loves that dog!
Henry and Taylor with Reggie
After dinner we went over to Aaron and Kenzie's for ice cream. Henry sat on this train backwards and worked the buttons on the other side with his feet.
We left Michael and Timmy there and they went home with Grandma and Grandpa Burk. Then we went and got them after church the next day.
This particular night Henry even kept his blanket on. Miraculous!
Henry likes to "drive" lately. He gets upset with us sometimes if we put him in his seat without letting him drive.
The Primary gave Jill this pretty, soft towel.
Henry discovered the mail slot at Grandma's house.
Jeremy has been having Benji do pushups every day to strengthen his arms for wrestling. Now whenever he tells Benji to do pushups Henry tries to do them too. :) This time he got down on the floor immediately, even before Benji did. :)
Yesterday a friend gave us a book shelf. She just moved and couldn't fit it in her new house.
Such a pretty sunset yesterday!
That friend also gave us her Vitamix blender! I'm excited to try it! And we had a drawer that was just the right size for all the pieces! I still have empty drawers in the kitchen that I haven't figured out what to do with. Part of the problem is mice! We can't seem to keep them and their poopies out of some of those drawers! We've battled them good, though, and have only had one that we know of recently. It'll probably be an ongoing problem in this house. There was evidence of mice before we even moved in.
Anyway, now I need to go get some frozen berries to blend. ;)
