A visit from Poppa & some fun projects!

I am such a Daddy's girl. I was so excited when my mom told me that my Dad was going to be in Salt Lake on business. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay long, but we did get to see him for about three hours one evening. These are not great photos, but oh well! This is what I have. :)

(terrible, terrible picture of me)

Hannah was so excited to see Poppa! She just wanted to hold on to him all night. She sat by him at dinner and just held on to his arm when we went back to his hotel room.

Ainsley was getting into everything (as usual) so Thomas sat her on the top of the fridge. Ainsley doesn't like to be up that high.

We had a great time visiting with Dad and the only two things could have made it better... if Momma had come, too and if they could have stayed longer! Thanks, Daddy!
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Our internet was acting up on Saturday and it was just frustrating me so much that I decided to unplug and do something non-digital. I can hear the gasps of surprise all over the world as I type this! :) I have been wanting to do some sewing and some paper and paint crafting and this seemed like a perfect time!

First, I have this adorable little ruffled skirt that I made for Hannah. The pattern came from my Aunt Sara's blog. I altered it a bit for Hannah. I have the pieces cut for Ainsley's skirt, but haven't gotten as far as actually putting it together.

*My alterations:
Ruffles: I used the same lengths as the 2T pattern because I wanted a knee-length skirt she could wear with leggings. For the ruffles, I used the full width of the fabric and cut out two widths for each ruffle. So, each ruffle was 88" wide before I sewed it together and gathered it. (LOVE your tip for gathering, Sara!) Also, instead of doing the waistband and Ruffle A out of the same fabric, I alternated the fabrics.

I used corduroy fabric and I LOVE how it turned out. Hannah picked the patterns and colors. I just love the solid feel to the skirt. And ironing the seams literally saved the project! I can't even tell you what a big difference it made on the hem.

Next, up, these funky little pumpkins! Is it fall yet? I got the idea for these pumpkins from this blog. I made mine much more rustic. And yes, that's on purpose! :) We are doing Thanksgiving at our cabin this year, so the more rustic, the better they will fit in with the decor! I ended up filling the top of the pumpkins with poly-fill and the bottoms with pinto beans! Beans aren't cheap. I was surprised that the filler cost more than the fabric! I made my pumpkins in a big variety of sizes and fabric types. I have some quilted fabric, some patchworked pumpkins and some metallic pumpkins, too! I mostly used leftover fabrics I had in my stash, but I did pick up a couple of remnant fabrics from Wal-Mart.

The top set of pumpkins is for Hannah & Ainsley's bedroom. They wanted some pumpkins for their room and the thought of a real pumpkin in there is WAY too frightening for me. Ainsley likes to throw things when she doesn't want to go to sleep.

These pumpkins were so much fun to make! I forsee my pumpkin colony multiplying!

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And just some random cuteness from my girls yesterday! We had to leave sacrament early because Ainsley was in desperate need of a nap. But Ainsley is a messy napper, so I had to get a few photos of that adorable outfit before she made a big ol' mess of herself!

Ainsley did NOT want her photo taken.

Hannah was more than happy to pose for the camera. Thanks, Hannah Baby! :) Yes, her hair looked better than that before church. She insisted on a headband and every mother of a five year old girl knows how long headbands stay on their heads... about five minutes!

NewEgg delivered my printer ink to my old address so you don't get to see my latest and greatest hybrid projects for another week or so. Hannah has fall break coming up this weekend. I have no idea what I am going to do to keep these two both entertained all day. Probably bake a lot of treats. Speaking of treats... I baked these today. YUM! And those adorable little pumpkin pies will be making an appearance at an event near me in the near future. I must find a mini muffin pan. :)