Graduation

Joseph graduated from New York University on May 16. The College of Dentistry held graduation in the Lincoln Center, and the school-wide NYU graduation was at Yankee Stadium. It has been so exciting to have him finish up this last part of school and to celebrate his accomplishments. He did well in his classes, and created some great relationships with his classmates, faculty, and patients.

There were some very long days, with an average of 3 hours of commute every day, late nights in the clinic seeing patients, and lots of 12-hour days. He was rarely home for dinner and I often put the kids to bed by myself. NYU expected a lot out of the dental students, but they learned a lot and got a lot of experience in return.

We are very proud of Joseph. He never complained and always did what was expected of him. He is a wonderful husband and father and helped so much at home, even when he had so much going on at school. Congratulations, Dr. Joseph Gedge, DDS!!

Spring Sewing, Part 2

Here are a few more things I made for the kids this Spring. Matthew & Anna got matching seersucker shorts, and Anna's green top is made from the same fabric as Matt's shorts from this post.

These two things are probably some of my favorite things I have ever made. This chambray top with buttons up the back goes with everything and fits Anna so well. The little red denim shorts are itty bitty, but I love that they are custom made so they actually fit her little body! All of her other pants and shorts are falling off all the time.

Now if only it would stop raining here, then they could actually get some more use out of these clothes!

Boston

We spent a couple of days in Boston when my family was here visiting. Joseph was so kind to stay home with the kids. We took a midnight bus ride from NYC to Boston, lugged our backpacks around for two days, got soaking wet in the rain, and had a wonderful time.

My favorite part was taking a train to Belmont and Concord, which are the cutest little towns just outside of Boston. We rented bikes in Concord and rode around to cemeteries and historic landmarks. Walden Pond was so beautiful and Henry David Thoreau's cabin site was really interesting.

We also saw the Boston temple, ate really good food, and were sore for days after we got back home. It was a great trip and I'm so glad I decided to tag along last minute!

5

Matthew had a birthday last week. He was so excited to turn five, and the day was so much fun. My parents and sister were visiting, so we had a great day together celebrating Matthew. The day included waking up to balloons in his room, opening presents, playing in the sand at the beach, an awesome chameleon cake (if I do say so myself) and lots and lots of playing.

We love Matthew so much and it is so fun to watch him grow up. He is a great kid. Happy birthday!!

Spring Sewing

I have been sewing a lot lately. My kids have finally grown out of worn out the clothes they've had for the last two years (they grow slowly...) so I was excited to make a lot of new things for them for the spring and summer!

I refashioned a lot of my old things for Anna. A button up shirt became a cute little tank. And my old t-shirt is now a smaller t-shirt. And I finally tried out freezer paper stencils, which I loved!!

Matthew got shorts and t-shirts with stenciled shapes and animals. Anna got skirts and t-shirts and simple cap-sleeve tops.

I also made Anna a cute little Easter dress with this beautiful fabric from my friend Jill's stash. I love it. And Matt got a bow-tie which he was quite happy with.

*Some of these projects were inspired by beautiful things made by other people. Here, here, and here.

I've got a few more things I'm finishing up, so I'll do part 2 soon!!

My Afternoon in the City

Last week, I got to spend an afternoon in Manhattan all by myself. Thanks to my friend who watched the kids, I didn't have to wrestle a stroller onto the subway or fear losing my children in the throngs of people that always cover the sidewalks in the city. It was wonderful.

I did some shopping and people watching and picture taking. But my main purpose for the trip was to visit some of the fabric stores in the Garment District. I could have spent days, not hours, looking through those amazing stores and dreaming up all the things I could make with that beautiful fabric.

I found some great things to buy, ate a delicious slice of pizza, and then headed toward home on the subway... ferry... and bus. I loved my afternoon, and I'll hopefully be able to sneak in a few more of them in the next 7 weeks.