I am not a sew-er.

Usually.

But yesterday I sewed this.

Or finished it I should say. The fabric was bought at the beginning of the week (after quite a few indecisive and discouraging trips to the fabric store and lots of online searching), the skirt was sewn mid week (by far the easiest part) and the bumper was all pieced and sewn together just before 2am last night...or this morning I guess. (I thought I was almost done around 10.)

I am very pleased with how it turned out, thanks my sister-in-law Stephanie's wonderful instructions (I payed very close attention since I knew she'd be unreachable once the sewing began) and my surprising last minute helper who measured, pinned and pressed like a champ (yes, my one and only, danny).

I hoped to finish some time before our little baby boy arrived in September, so it looks like I'm well ahead of schedule. Now on to Ellie's quilt, a few decorative pillows and some wall art.

Wish me luck!

You never know what a trip to Home Depot will result in.

Danny usually goes for one thing, and comes back with several.
This time it worked out in my favor.

Fresh flowers to replace our dead, crusty ones.
(I always forgot to water them.)

Thanks for the new ones honey.

Homebodies.

I am without a car today.

This may not be hard for some, but I like to make it out at least once in a day.

(Yes, even in this unbearable heat.)

But today we will be at home.

So far we've occupied ourselves by...

going for a refreshing swim



and making whole-wheat tortillas
(a first for me)

Whole-Wheat Tortillas

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup warm tap water

Combine flour, Baking powder and salt. Add olive oil and stir until well combined. Put in warm tap water 1 T at a time until dough can be gathered into a ball. Add more water if needed 1 T at a time. Knead on floured surface 15-20 times. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough into 10-12 equal portions and shape into balls. On floured surface roll out ball from center into a circle. Cook on ungreased skillet over medium-high heat on each side about 30 seconds or until puffy.
I needed quite a bit more than 1/2 cup of water and I only got 9 regular size tortillas out of this recipe. I didn't use any flour to roll them out and I rolled them almost paper thin. It was hard to get them nice and round, but I'm ok with that. And I browned them on my cast iron skillet, which in my opinion is a must have pan for browning tortillas. I was surprised how simple they were, and very yummy. This will definitely be added to my recipe book.

Maybe staying home all day isn't so bad after all.
At least every once in a while anyway.


Oh and for those who haven't heard (or seen) yet,




baby #2 is due to arrive in September.
Yes, Ellie will soon have her very own
baby brother.

My baby turned 2 today.

To celebrate,

Danny treated her to her very own mickey mouse pancake,
which she happily ate up,
ears first.



Yesterday was the party, complete with cone cupcakes (which I made thinking she'd love, but apparently she prefers them filled with ice cream), presents, swimming and all of her favorite people.

Happy Birthday Ellie.