End of August Already?????

It's hard to believe that summer is winding down. I know many of my friends in other states have already returned to school!!! If this is you....I know how hard it is to send our sweet little ones out into the big world. I wish all the best to you and hope each child has an excellent school year....including the homeschoolers!!! Happy School Year!!!!!!

Of course, we're still in a bit of denial here! So we have taken to the beach for reassurance that summer is still here!!!! The girls finished up swim lessons and both can swim alone. Devon really progressed well...she can swim over and through the waves now and really enjoyed the ocean!!!

 

Here's Sarah and her friend...they loved hanging out together!

Brooklyn likes staying close to shore for a while...but I did convince her later to come out beyond the waves on a boggie board...which she loved!!!

We really enjoyed our beach day!!!

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The girls worked on some art projects for back-to-school....they made a kid banner and colored it!

 They decided to hang it up in their room!

And they have been playing Bella Dancerella Cheerleader and High School Musical lots lately!

They are getting pretty good now and sing along with it!!! LOL!

I guess with this pic...I can segway right into some back-to-school sewing, huh???!!!

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I made a back-pack bag for Brooklyn.....Tailored Tote by Scientific Seamstress. She'll be bringing folders and a few books and things back and forth to school so it works perfectly. I also made her a skirt to match her bag....a simple tiered skirt...no pattern...though I can give you directions for it if you want. Then I appliqued a tee with an applique from Stitch On Time. It was so cute and stitched out well!!! Here are close-ups of everything:

Devon opted for an appliqued tee only so again, I found one at Stitch On Time! I just LOVE this one! Due to the gathers near the top of the tee I had to lower the app a little...so hopefully this will be ok on! Close-ups:

  I was also inspired by Jennifer Paganelli's  line of fabric called Poodle. My friend, Carla, had given me some when we met up so I was dying to create something cute for school with it! I decided to make a double layer twirl skirt with wedges of different fabrics. Then, due to the name of the fabric, I got another Stich On Time applique of a cute poodle and appliqued it on some more fabric. I put this on a tee and whalaaa .... a whole outfit perfect for September!

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Some very exciting news......both Carla and Jennifer have some new things out!

Did you know that Jennifer's latest line, Queen Street, is available????? Fabulous colors and patterns.....feast your eyes:

And both Carla and Jennifer have jointly released two more patterns!!!!!Yaaa!!!! There is an adult version and a kid version and within the pattern are several variations! They are available on ymct for now and may be coming soon to other locals in a few weeks! I know I have worn my tester version all through July and August!!!! It is fun to sew and very comfy to wear!!!

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The whole family (except Sarah who was away this week ) attended a pool party this past weekend. It was a bit rainy but no lightening in sight...so we told the girls if they go out in the rain and go swimming they might get wet!!!!! LOL!

 So they jumped right in! Here's the birthday girl:

 Yummy cupcakes to go along with the make-your-own-sundae! Oh and there was a cookout cause you can't have a pool party without burgers and dogs!!!!!

 The kids really had a great time. They also made bracelets and picture frames and had yummy punch!!!! Thanks for inviting us and happy birthday Paige!!!! We had a great time!!!

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So while I got the tires rotated the other day, we waited...but not in the waiting room...we went next door to a golf and ice cream store! The girls had a great time golfing around the water falls and ponds (and fetching the ball out with the net!). Then they had water ice! Quite a fun way to wait for  the car!

I can't imagine many people win a free game....you had to make it into the clowns mouth!

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Daddy took us all out fishing at Cape May Point and showed the girls how to fish!!! It was a bit of a stormy night and the sky was so neat looking! There was even a faint rainbow!

It was a bit rainy and windy for a while but we all persevered and finally they girls met with success...Devon actually reeled in and landed her first fish!!!!

I loved taking pics of the sky!

Brooklyn and Edmund caught some fish too!!!!

 LOL....there was no way she was touching that slimy flailing fish!!!! hahahaha!

None of the fish were large enough to keep, so Edmund tagged them and returned them to the sea!!!

You probably can't see the rainbow in this pic huh?? Well, it was there! We all had a fun time fishing and we headed home wind and rained upon but happy!

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So today was another cloudy cool day...the girls and I hung out at home! They decided to have some sprinkler "wars".....

And as a special treat tonight while I am blogging, the girls are having movie night, complete with popcorn and candy!!! Wow!!!! Don't worry, they normally only get candy in small doses...but I figured once in a while its ok!

I am on a diet so this all looks fabulous to me...but don't worry, I didn't even try a piece of anything! I've decided to try a low-carb diet for a while since my eating was crazy out-of-control. So far so good! I'll keep you posted.

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Well, I guess that's it for now! We have a few weeks remaining until school starts and then the grind begins anew! Hugs and kisses and thanks for reading!

God Bless,

Cathy

My sincere prayers and sympathy go out to my aunt and her daughter-in-law and their families as they deal with the sudden and tragic loss of my cousin, Carl. He was a wonderful and God-fearing young man. I know he is with Jesus now and I pray for comfort and healing to the family he left behind.