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Monday, April 29, 2013

For His Birthday



It took us three weeks, but we were all finally able to gather together to eat, laugh, and celebrate this man, my father-in-law.  He raised two little boys, grooming them to be loving men in a world that makes it so hard to be one, and now (after all that hard work) he gets to be Poppy to four beautiful grandchildren.  


In all of the activity that goes along with four beautiful grandchildren, these were the only photos I was able to get of him, but I believe they show the true nature of his character.  Kind.  Loving.  Gentle.  

Happy Birthday, Poppy!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I love you, Cranky Pants

We've had a string of rough days with Mr. Noah lately.  He has nightmares and doesn't sleep well.  Believe it or not, lack of sleep can make a three-year-old quite grumpy.  He'll tell you so himself.  Yesterday, however, was a fabulous day, and it's days like those that enable me to look at a grump-a-rump little boy and say, "I love you."  Despite your tantrums and yelling and naughtiness (let's just chalk it up to sin nature), I love you.  And you are a blessing.  

  You are gentle.  You are sweet.  And smart.  And funny.  

And you are mine.

I love you, Cranky Pants.


Monday, April 22, 2013

Finally Fully Finished

It's hard to believe that two years ago, our nursery looked like this:





OK.  So, it wasn't actually a nursery then since we only had one child.  We called it The Office and pretended that that was it's actual purpose.  Occasionally we forgot this and used it as a giant catch-all flat surface.

Then a year-and-a-half ago, we pulled out the carpet to leave us with this:



It still didn't actually look like an office as much as it did a climate-controlled storage unit.

But, when we found out last fall that we were having a girl, I got right to work.


Those are pictures of my mother, grandmothers, and mother-in-law.



I had the room finished by November except for this wall.  


We were originally going to build a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, but in March we changed our minds about the design.

The first portion of the project looked like this:


A bookcase which, with the exception of one $5 stick of lumber, was made entirely from materials we already had (all the way down to the paint).

Blair got this much done and then took a four-day trip to the other end of the state, which turned out to be great because it allowed me to fill it with books and style the top.


Over the weekend, he put up these three ledge shelves, and, with that, not only is this project complete, but so is Katy Rynne's room.


These shelves hold new things and old items.  Some, such as the wooden dishes on the yellow shelf, have sentiment.  My grandfather made those for me when I was a little girl.  The Charley Harper post cards were a gift from my mother for my birthday last year.  Occasionally, I will write Miss Rynne a note on the back of one for her to read as she grows.



The rag doll here was made for me by my mother.  I made the bunny for Katy Rynne, and she is sitting in a rocking chair made by one of my great-grandfathers.




Blair and I love this space now, and hopefully as she grows, Kathrynne will as well.  It's full of love, childhood memories, and room to grow.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Summer Dresses

 Purple pintucks and polka dots.  I made this one a size larger so she can wear it all summer.



To get the pintucks, I cut the bodice a size larger than the rest of the dress.  I then put in five lines of pintucks to even up the fabric.


This one makes me think of The Sound of Music.  With just a hint of sweet little girl eyelet lace.


 The lace was given to my mother from her mother when I was a little girl.  Mama sent it to me last week.  I know Katy Rynne is too little to know the sentimental touch that it adds, but I think it's just so sweet.