pretty pink baby shoes

Close friends just finished all the paperwork to adopt a little girl... now it's just a matter of waiting. Waiting is hard, so to help make the anticipation a little sweeter I made a pair of tiny baby shoes featuring a fun black and white with pink fabric I found as a fat quarter. The pattern is one I've made before, and this time I added a bit of embroidery to personalize them.

"Mind Your P's And Q's" baby blanket

I just finished a small quilt for a baby girl expected at the end of August.

This was my first time using a "charm pack" for a baby blanket. It's a variety of fabrics from Keiki's Mind Your P's And Q's collection. I found the fabric searching for coral and turquoise prints to match the nursery. It was a little brighter than the colors I originally imagined in my head, but the fun letters and animals in the print totally sold me on the fabric. I couldn't find much yardage available online, so the pre-cut stack of 5x5" squares from Pink Chalk Fabrics seemed like a great head start. I got a little more inspiration on design from Pinterest. Unfortunately I didn't get the quilting completed in time for the shower, but I'm well ahead of the baby's arrival, so I don't feel too tardy.

water fun

Our community has five pools available to residents through the summer. They are all kid friendly, and there is even a splash park for the little ones. I wish I could say we take full advantage of these resources, but my energy levels and mobility (not to mention fear of maternity swimwear) have not been helpful in making it happen. So we thought about putting a sand box in our yard this summer, but decided the mess and investment wouldn't be worth it. Instead we went with a water play table.

I bought the large storage tub from JoAnn Fabrics because I was there and saw them, but they are widely available. It's the kind that is designed to slide under a bed, so wide and shallow. Eventually we'll put it up on blocks in back, but since we're working on the deck, the temporary home is on the front porch.

I ordered stacking/nesting cups designed for water play as well as the funnel/wheel toy from Amazon. As it turns out Atlas favors the large plastic cup and mixing spoon, but we've had fun playing with all the items.

 

A neighbor saw us playing and brought out the elephant watering can. It's been a huge hit as well.

Here's to staying cool and splashing around in the summer sun!