Cinch Bag

I bought this fabric a year ago when Annie started dance class. Today, she blessed me with a good nap, allowing me time to pick up a long-neglected project.

I followed this tutorial:

http://www.momtastic.com/diy/106558-diy-how-to-make-a-drawstring-backpack/

I did line the bag (I had extra fabric, and since it was a basic cotton, I figured it couldn't hurt.) All in all, it took me less than an hour. And she's thrilled with her new ballet bag!

A Princess Party

We thought we were in the clear when Dayna showed no interest in princesses. Then we met Annie. Princess personified. She has been talking about an Elsa party for so long, we really had no choice but to have one! It was a fun day, with two of her friends. All the girls wore princess dresses, hunted for snowflakes, pinned the nose on Olaf, had a messy backyard snowball fight and played "Do you want to build a snowman?" with shaving cream and corn starch. I think she had fun!

Mulan even came to our party

Do you want to build a snowman?

Princess trio

In their natural element

snowball fight

The winning princesses

The losing grown-ups

Small Town Parades

While I'm thinking of "nerd fiction," we recently had a parade in our little corner of the world. The 501st Legion invaded our town - and the bad guys seemed to outnumber the good.

Science Fiction?

I had the opportunity to cover a week of classes for a friend who got called to jury duty at the beginning of the year. It was a long week - for all of us! It was also a great provision from God, as August sub dates can be hard to come by, and the extra income is definitely appreciated.

One day, we were discussing genres of fiction (fantasy, realistic fiction, folk tales and such.) The class was trying to guess the genre, when I shared this one: "My husband enjoys this. It's futuristic, often takes place in space or involves time travel."

After a long pause, a tentative hand went in the air as the student guessed, "Nerd fiction?"

Nailed it!

Breakfast is Served

Apparently, when your girls decide to grow up, they also become more helpful. Last Saturday, while Dan was gone, the girls decided to make breakfast. Dutch Babies are a family staple around here - for dinner as often as breakfast, it seems. Dayna also wanted to try her hand at making a fruit compote with some fresh peaches we just bought.

YUM!

Our Four-Year-Old

We only had one day to get used to the idea of having a fifth grader when my three-year-old decided to turn four. Time marches on.

First Day of Fifth Grade

Here it is. The final year of elementary school. (sniff) Dayna was off and running and excited to finally be on the third floor (until the third trip, which left her winded and wondering if the second floor might have been easier.)

A New Kind of Outdoor Concert

Dayna's cello teacher has been trying to find new ways to motivate Dayna to practice. This month, she suggested Dayna practice outdoors. This is what I caught the other night. She's doing great!

Pass the Tissues

Annie's speech is becoming so much clearer. So I was surprised the other day when I completely misheard what Annie was asking me. What I thought were terms of endearment was really a request to remedy a runny nose. We recreated the conversation for your benefit.

Butterflies

Dayna has been on a butterfly kick all summer. Just this month, she caught several monarchs. She was able to see a lot of the life cycle (yes...we watched mating butterflies. There is no privacy around here!) We saw the eggs on the milkweed, she has continued to collect milkweed as the monarch caterpillars hatched. We watched them grow, and just he other night, caught one of them turning into a chrysalis.

Now we wait for five new butterflies to emerge.