A Quiet Saturday of Little Joys

This week has been a lot less "busy" than VBS week, but definitely not quiet. I think my boys are in need of more structure and less HERE than I have been up to providing. School is still 5 weeks away for us, so it could be a long August! The good news is that this morning is quiet and peaceful. No waking up to fighting or songs about flatulence or requests of "Can I go out and ride my bike?" at 6:45. Nope, it's just me and The Bird hanging for a bit before we decide what to do with our delicious day. I'm thinking some shopping this morning and some sewing this afternoon. Her doll's need diapers, poor things. Mike has taken the boys out to his parents for a Minor League Baseball game (last night) and just some Nana and Papa time for awhile today. I love them dearly, but it is good to get a break. How did I ever think one was tough? ;-)

Next week, we have plans for a few days of tent camping and some canoeing with my folks up our sleeves. We are all excited and this will be Ellerie's first time camping! I do love the outdoors, but I admit I was never keen on camping with someone in diapers. We are headed to a lake that I lived on with a girlfriend for a summer in college. Beautiful. But as much as I sometimes worry about my kids' lack of ability to just get out into nature on their own because we live in the 'burbs, we have been getting some cool nature lessons lately right here in our backyard.

Baby(ish) deer that hung out for a long time. Likely on a sans-Mama extended learning experience we deduced after my MIL's diligent calls all around to animal rescue type places. We do have woods behind the houses across the street from us, so they probably wandered from there.

A silkworm caterpillar (Antheraea polyphemus) Calvin found on the ground and rescued. He was SO cool. Never seen anything like it. Blow up the picture if you want to see more detail. Tate wanted to keep him to build him something to turn into his moth state, but I was so afraid we wouldn't do it properly and we'd kill him. If anyone knows anything about this process, do tell. We watched him for a long time though once we put him on the tree. First he climbed up for a bit, then back down to the ground and I worried we had done the wrong thing with him. But after he reached the ground and crawled around on it for a minute or two, he found the tree again and then began going up and up and up. I think he must have been orienting himself. Truly amazing.

And, while we're on the subject of lepidoptery, this lovely Monarch decided my sunflowers were nice. We decided butterflies are nice.

My hydrangea is blooming too. Has been for weeks now. This gives me no end of joy because I do not have the greenest thumb. There were no blooms last year when we transplanted it and I just didn't touch it this year and viola! Thank you little plant.

Last night after Ellie went to bed, I managed a little sewing time too. I haven't felt much like sewing lately. I find it hard to craft in any form with constant interruptions, something hard to avoid at this stage of life, but even more so in the summer time. I have tried to teach myself to work in little stages instead of going on a crazy sewing streak where I feel like I cannot leave the machine until it is DONE, well or not. But I often hesitate to begin when I know I won't get very far. And since baseball (done now!!!) has taken four evenings a week of being away from Mike, we have a tendency to hang out in the evening, so I haven't been sewing at night either. At least I tell myself that. Truly I am often not up to speed after 8 pm and probably only managed last night because I drank a Dr. Pepper at 7! This apron, from Amy Butler's In Stitches, is headed to my sister Michelle for her (several weeks belated) birthday.

It's good to sew something and makes me want to tackle something else. Hopefully I can manage the doll diapers this afternoon, but I think up next is some embroidery. Embroideread, in fact, over at Checkout Girl. Go check out the contest... maybe you'd like to join in?

Oh, and did I mention that I WON THIS GORGEOUS quilt over at Dana's? I gotta go get a lottery ticket ;-).