Off on my tropical vacation...

Yeah, don't I wish. I previously posted about how I joined a "virtual vacation" swap (see what I made & sent here). I just got my package in the mail! This is what I got:

Here's the gorgeous & gigantic batik bag made for me:

Here's everything together - the bag with a matching camera cozy & wristlet pouch, a cooler bag, 2 plastic goblets, some beach toys for Cooper, a Sandals brochure package (so I can envision myself at a tropical resort!), a notebook, and a mini scrapbook kit.

And.. because she knew I love Dr. Seuss, tons of Dr. Seuss fabric!! Seriously, I haven't measured but there's yards of it. It's waterproof fabric so I think I'm going to make a raincoat for Cooper out of it (my mom's suggestion!). Maybe a wetbag for cloth diapers or wet swimsuits too!

Zak & Caycee's birthday bash

The giant Zak-turns-3-and-Caycee-turns-2-and-Justin-turns-30(-but-don't-tell-Justin-'cause-it's-a-surprise-for-him) bash was this past weekend. We ate a ton of food & cake, baked in the hot sun, & watched the kids open (or attack) presents.

Caycee was MIA when it came time for cake. Dayna found her in the pool... in her dress.


I hope these aren't breakable...


And another entry (see the first here and here) for the "most ridiculous present for children ever" - a two-seater Power Wheels fire engine.

And since I know you're wondering.. yes, it does have a siren and it shoots water. And it goes very, very fast.

Justin making sure the kids make it back to the house (Zak wanted to drive around the neighborhood).

I've been busy sewing...

I've made a ton of stuff recently (probably why I have not been blogging as much as I should).

A sock monkey with a heart tattoo on her (?) arm:

Matching shirt & onesie dress for Zak & Caycee:

A police hooded towel for Zak:

A Brobee hooded towel for Caycee. I know, it's totally creepy, but that really is how the character looks (he's from Caycee's favorite show Yo Gabba Gabba).

Here's a picture of the character:

Goodies for Gavin

Congratulations to John's cousin Gina & her husband Patrick who recently welcomed a new baby boy, Gavin, to their family! I haven't made it to visit with Gavin & his almost-2-year-old brother Jake yet (I have a cold & don't want to give it to the newborn), but here are the goodies I made for when I can visit:

Two burp cloths & two onesies for Gavin, and a t-shirt for Jake.

Happy Father's Day!

To all the daddies, but especially to John & my dad! I love you both!

And now for something completely different..

I lied. It's another swap, so same old thing.

Since I know you're all sick of reading about my swaps I'll ask this while I still have your attention: Any ideas for summer meals that don't require the stove or oven? It's about to be in the 90s (summer is finally here!) & I'm anticipating spending most of my days camping my huge pregnant self in Cooper's kiddie pool. The thought of cooking on the stove or with the oven is nauseating & eating hot food doesn't sound all that appealing either.

For the one person who's still reading (hi Mom!), here's a package I sent for a "Virtual Vacation" swap. The idea is everyone chooses their dream vacation spot & then you craft a bag of some type & items to put in it for their vacation or "vacation" (for people like me who aren't taking one, but want to pretend they are). I had to craft for a tropical spot.

I adore this bag. I love the fabric & it came out (far from perfect but) so much better than I expected. It's got a pocket on the front & back (a little hard to see, but it's there between the straps) & it's completely reversible! The inside is the opposite - pink with flowered straps. And it's huge!

Here's everything: the tote bag, a beach bag made from a towel, a sarong (upcycled or repurposed from a thrift store skirt), flip flops with super-soft yarn crocheted on, umbrella picks (for tropical drinks), a mini brag book & mini travel scrapbooking kit, a camera cozy that matches the tote bag, a journal, a scrapbooked recipe book with tropical drinks, appetizers, food, & desserts, a beach towel (found for next to nothing at Target!), & a lei, of course.

Happy (belated) birthday Zak!

I'm a horrible aunt/godmother. Zak's birthday was over the weekend & I'm just now posting about it. Zak turned three (which means no more binkies & no more diapers - lucky mama Dayna!). We went to his house for a "small" celebration.

Zak was nice enough to share the spotlight with Caycee (not that she gives him much of a choice).

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the two of them licking the cake when we didn't move fast enough to cut it.