It was Ella's first day of kindergarten today. Graham was really worried about being left out. We packed him a backpack too and let him come along to drop her off. Ella was grumpy when I picked her up. She is not used to waking up early. It will be a big adjustment for all of us.

It was my first day back in school also. English 102 & Art 102 today. I'm happy to spend the time to better myself. I really appreciate it this time around. I don't feel it's a huge sacrifice for my family like beauty school was. This is for me. There is something very special about that now that I am a mom. I don't feel selfish. I feel intelligent and privileged. Thank you little family for letting me go back to school.

Ella's Birthday dress turned out to be the best so far. I used this pattern. I didn't even have to alter it. It was missing the waistband and tie, so I rigged something up. I'm so proud.

Ella's Birthday has been awesome so far. We had a party this afternoon. I curled their hair and put on their makeup. My favorite thing I did was make capes for them to get ready in, like they were in a salon. (made out of vintage sheets of course) They also got to pick out a headband. 5 was the perfect number. Oh, I also printed out some faces for them to put makeup on. It was a huge hit!

So It is Done. I started this quilt while I was pregnant with Graham. I finished it just before his birthday in December.
Yes this beautiful quilt is lying in my driveway in this picture. My house has very little windows and my grass has quite a bit of dog poop on it. No, I don't have a dog, but i do have shitty neighbors. Any way getting back too awe and amazement - I love this quilt. It makes me so happy that I've made something so awesome for my kid. It never works out that way. I make lots of things for everyone else, but not this time. It's wearing pretty well too. It's already been through many washes.

I also pieced together 2 other circles of this Sendak illustration. It only took me a year and half to finish this one, we'll see when I share the others with the world.

It's Here. I got a custom order request for a Handkerchief banner for a wedding last night and I knew it was here. Page 72 of BRIDES Magazine, March issue.
"Vintage Handkerchief Pennants? Yes, Please; $30, liliarose.etsy.com." I can't believe it. I am so stoked. Now to list more banners.

I had a ton of tiny scraps from making banners from vintage handkerchiefs. I discovered I had enough tiny scraps to make about 20 tiny banners. They turned out really great. Ella loved posing for me. I promised her one for her room.

So I've been thinking a lot about this girl lately. Her name is Arianna. I met her a couple of times when she was just a baby before she got a type of cancer I know little about. She is my cousin Haley's daughter. Up in the picture she's hanging out with her dad, Travis. I really like this picture. She died this past Sunday. I'm going up to the funeral on Saturday.

I grew up with Haley. She taught me a lot about sewing. Just how to crap it together mostly. She married very, very young. We weren't as close after that, mostly because she married at 16 & I think I was 14 then. She grew up fast, I didn't. She has 5 kids including her Ari. She had a baby during Ari's treatment. She wants a lot of kids, even though she almost dies every time she has one. Haley has always been miles ahead of me.

I think that having a small child die (she was 3) must be quite a sacred experience. Only a handful of people really got to know this special girl. I didn't know her. I can't help but be a little jealous, and happy for the people who got to share this special experience. I think of my young kids, age 1 & 4, I know the best parts of them. I can't help but be thankful for the special bond we have.

I have a scewed view on death. My Dad's death was the most sacred experience of my life. I've never felt closer to the Lord. I knew that God called him home, like he was hand picked for a calling on the other side. It still hurts that he's gone. It's been 10 years. My Dad has been gone 10 years. He's missed so much. The only way to really comfort myself on him not knowing my kids is that maybe he's hand delivering them to me. This is a bad time to think of all this. I'm totally sobbing uncontrollably. My dad loved kids. He would have loved being a grandpa. When I held graham close, our special moments when I breastfed him, I felt that my dad knew him. I felt that the love of my father just channeled through him to me every time he looked at me, or melted into my chest. Having my children has been the most healing experience. I can't imagine having having one of them ripped away from me.

I almost forgot. If you want to read Ari's story follow this link.