Graduation Time!

It's almost graduation time!  As a mother of five children, I've done this before.  It's always a sentimental time for me, as I love all the activities the kids have been involved in; particularly during high school, and it's the end that.  This will be a doozy (I wonder if that's really a word....spell check doesn't think so!), as this time it's our twins, and they are the "babies"!  We've had kids continuously at our high school since 2000, and before that my husband and I both graduated from there.  Small town, and everything happens at the high school.  What am I going to do now?!?

Here's Kari and Kaitlyn's graduation announcement that I made.  I designed these and ordered through Overnight Prints (click here).  Great company to work with and some real good prices!

The big day is only a couple of weeks away!  Time sure flies!  They just started kindergarten a day or two ago...didn't they?!?

But they grew and grew and time marches on!  We took senior pictures last fall.  I've taken all the kid's senior pictures over the years, and just last week I finally get a new camera.  What was I thinking?

At any rate, lots going on in the next couple of weeks, but I squeezed in some time to work on some graduation dolls.

Not really primitive like my usual style, but I had fun making them, and I'll probably have them on display at their graduation party.  The pattern is available on my website and Etsy as well.  Etsy has a new feature and you can instantly download e-patterns.  Pretty handy!  See the pattern here.

It's almost June!  What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?  Wet and cold here!  Come on summer!!!

Primitive blessings,

Laurie

P.S.  Found the vintage picture at the top on Etsy.  See it here.

Did you have a nice Mother's Day?!

I sure did!  I had all my kids together, and that is a great start to any day!  Not only that, they cooked dinner for me (Hawaiian...and I even wore a lei!)

My sweet youngest daughters (the twins) posted the following on my Facebook page.  Not to toot my own horn, because they seem to put me on a higher pedestal than I deserve, but I just wanted to share the sweet messages and the video Kaitlyn posted:
Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing, loving, caring woman I know.  You and Dad raised all five of us to be the kind of people you want us to be.  You have taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to, and I love you so much for that.  You have come to every single one of my track meets, supported me more than anyone else, and picked me up when I've been down.  I love you so much Mama.  I wouldn't be the person I am today without you as my Mommy!  Love, Kaitlyn Happy Mother's Day to the world's most wonderful Mom!  I am so grateful to have someone as amazing as you to look up to in my life.  Thank you for being there for me every day and for your support.  I hope that one day I can be like you.  I love you Mommy!  Love, Kari

I'm a lucky, lucky girl!

Here's a picture of me with all the kids eleven years ago. Seems like yesterday!

Prim blessings,

Laurie

Just a little sentimental today. . .

Today our firstborn is twenty seven years old!  I don't know where the time has gone!  Wasn't I just this age?  (I was actually five years younger than that in this picture!)  Lots of changes happening, and that's probably part of it.  In 6 weeks our babies - the twins - will graduate from high school.  This has always been a sentimental time for me with our other three children, but there was always the babies.  They were little.  It was a LONG time until they'd graduate.  Well, now the time has come!  We've so enjoyed all of their high school activities!  They are very active in band/jazz, sports, extra-curricular stuff.  My van is always on the road taking me to something that they are involved in!  (Literally....they just got their driver's licenses a week ago, and they aren't driving alone yet).  I am so proud of them all, but if I could just turn the clock back a dozen years or so, I sure would.....

So, about Ashley - since it's her day!  She is a middle school teacher and track coach.  She's always been an ideal daughter.  Sweet, helpful, giving, and we're so proud of her!  She's coming for dinner and cake this evening after work.  She requested a Boston Cream Pie, and daughter Kari is making it for her.  Sounds like a good recipe.  (See it here).  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Our weather is to be in the mid 80's this weekend!  It's about time!

Primitive blessings,

Laurie

Took a little break....

I did quite a bit of sewing this month...but it didn't have anything at all to do with new patterns or primitive crafts at all!  My twin daughters couldn't find any dresses that they liked for prom (at least not in our budget!) so we went to the fabric store instead.  They picked out fabric they liked, and I ended up altering patterns for both of them; combining a bodice from one pattern and the skirt from another, and changing the neckline of the other dress.  I also sewed on Swarovski crystals on the navy dress.  It was so much fun!  It had been ages since I'd sewn any clothing, and I had a great time!  This was my first experience with invisible zippers, and I don't ever want to put in regular zippers again!  These were a snap!

Kaitlyn was a prom princess, but they are both princesses in my book!

Back to School!

This summer has been so busy and kind of crazy, and if you didn't notice, I haven't put up a post since the middle of July!  In addition to lots of out of town company, we moved two of our kids, took a couple of trips, spent a week at our county fair, some home improvement projects, and now it's back-to-school day!

Our son, Lukas, finished Grad School on June 1st, and was hired as a full-time English teacher on May 31st!  On August 1st we moved him from Pullman, WA, where he had been a student at Washington State University (Go Cougs!), to his new home in Asotin, WA.  Asotin is a tiny little Mayberry-type town in the southeast part of Washington State.  He really lucked out with the home that he found to rent!  It's on the Snake River, with fishing, hunting, and in the country, albeit, a dry part of the state.  He's very happy, and with school started last week for him, he said he can't believe he's getting paid to do this job!  We're so glad for him!

 

That's my boy!

 

His back patio

 

The Snake River is right there! I don't think your first home out of college is supposed to be quite this nice!!!

The next week we moved daughter, Ashley, (also a teacher) to her apartment in Camas, Washington. She lives in a refurbished apartment above Camas Antiques, which is the best antique store anywhere! She has a clawfoot tub, a built-in Kitchen Queen, hardwood floors, and best yet, they allowed her to take her kitty cat! I haven't taken photos of it decorated yet, she's still hanging up pictures, but here are some before move-in. The perfect place for my antique-loving oldest daughter!

 

For 17 years now our kids have shown animals at the Skamania County Fair.  (Prior to that, my husband and I did this fair years ago!) This year, one of our twins was the Round Robin Master Showman!  Kari won a big belt buckle, that she's hardly taken off! (You'll notice it below in her back-to-school photo today).  Kari was the beef grand champion, and the reserve champion for sheep, so she was eligible for the Round Robin, where she had to show her cow, her lamb, a horse, a meat goat, dairy goat, horse, and alpaca.  She did really well, and we were so excited for her!

Kari (left) and twin sister, Kaitlyn (right)

 Also at the fair this year, our son, Lukas, and his band "Train of Thought" were hired to be the fair entertainment!  Take a listen here.  It was a really good fair!

Once the fair was over, I decided it was time to move daughter Kaitlyn into Lukas' old bedroom.  The twins have shared a bedroom since day one, and they were ready to have their own bedrooms.  This dark green bedroom was painted (several coats!) of cream paint, and we just got it finished!  Kaitlyn made the patchwork quilt on the bed, and she won grand champion on it and a nice trophy!  She's proud of her work, and even more impressive is that this was her first quilt and she completed it in only 2 weeks!  

 

We made this "headboard" out of an old screen door I had been hanging onto. I took off the old torn, rusty screen (you can bet I saved that for another project!) and replaced it with chicken wire, after a fresh coat of white paint.

 

Just purchased this nice oak commode cabinet at my favorite antique store!

We re-purposed some old drawers into shelves after painting them and adding some paper liner.

 

We're in the process of painting the outside of our house now.  I also have plans to make a spare bedroom into a new craft room.  So excited!  I'll post pictures of the progress later.

Before school started, we made a trip to Deer Park, Washington to visit family and I got to see my 88 year old Grandma.  She's doing pretty good!  

Today was back-to-school day!  Kari and Kaitlyn are now seniors, and the last of our children.  Kind of sad, as it's been 21 years since I first sent one of my kids to school, and now it's almost over!  

So, there is my summer, in a nutshell, and a big reason why I haven't been getting any work done for my website!  Time to think about firing up the old sewing machine!  Happy September!

Primitive (early) fall blessings,

~Laurie

Just Finished Her!

Meet Kari Christina! This sweet primitive prairie doll was just finished, and I'll be adding a pattern for her to my website very soon! I wanted to make a non-raggedy Ann-type doll, and I also wanted it to be an Easter doll. I've made several dolls with bunnies and chicks, but wanted this to be more about the real meaning of Easter.

I'm so happy with how her bonnet (trial and error!) turned out! I used a vintage cloth napkin (primmed up of course!) for her apron.

My Kari Christina

She is named after one of my twins, Kari Christina, who just had emergency surgery a couple of weeks ago. Kari's full name means "Pure and Christ-like". A perfect name for my daughter. During her surgery and recovery, even in pain, this sweet and good daughter of mine always had a "thank you, Mama" whenever I brought her her medicine, food, plumped her pillows, helped her to the bathroom, etc. Now that she's returned to school and still can't carry her very heavy backpack, her twin sister, Kaitlyn, carries it for her. Every time I hear "Thanks, Kaitlyn. I love you". Such a sweet, sweet girl! I am truly blessed!

I have two more patterns I am working on: An Easter table runner and a Mother's Day Annie and sampler. Watch for them in the next couple of days!

Primitive blessings,

Laurie

Fair time!

We spent a week at the county fair with our twin daughters. They had a great fair, both earning highly coveted belt buckles for showmanship.....Kari for master sheep showman, and Kaitlyn for reserve champion for livestock showmanship for horses/beef/sheep/dairy goats/market goats/swine. They've always been my little farm girls, even though they are now 16! They've hardly taken off their buckles, and already plan to wear them for the first day of school! So, so proud of them! Here they are shown with their cousin.


During the fair my Jack Nodder Halloween make-do came out in the newest Create and Decorate magazine. I've also got the pattern now on my website as well as Pattern Mart.

Back-to-school is quickly approaching! My son takes off tomorrow; heading back to college for his final year (Master's Degree). He was hardly home, as he spent 8 weeks this summer in school with the Accelerated Master's Degree program. He was super-busy, but got an entire year of grad school out of the way in just 8 weeks, so it was worth it. Monday our middle daughter starts her junior year of college, and a week later our twins start their junior year of high school. Our oldest daughter also heads back to the classroom, but she's the teacher, in this case, and teaches at the local middle school. She is going to graduate school to get her Master's Degree too, however, so they are all students in one way or another.

Sure has been an odd summer here in the Pacific Northwest! In our neck of the woods, it's a warm day this summer if it's 70-75. We've yet to hit 90 degrees, but they are saying we may before the end of the weekend. My garden and everything is way behind, but it's very green around here, so I'm not complaining!

Hope you're enjoying the dog days of summer, and looking forward to fall! I've already seen signs of it in my local craft store, and I'm really not sure if I am ready for that yet......

Primitive blessings,

Laurie

I'm Back!

I spent the first couple of weeks of July with family in Eastern Washington. While there, I got in lots of good visiting with family, as well as found the deal of the century at a rummage sale! Check out this vintage quilt I got for A QUARTER! It is entirely hand-stitched of flour sack fabrics, I believe.


They were selling other bedding (not vintage) for $2, and the gal told me that this old thing was in bad shape, so she just wanted a quarter for it! I brought it home and stitched some loose spots, gave it a cleaning, and while it isn't my ideal colors, I can't believe how cheap I got it! My youngest daughter thinks that when she has her own room eventually, she wants to have it on her bed. (She is sharing her room with her twin sister right now while all four girls still live at home).

I also got to spend a lot of time with my Grandma. This is the Grandma that I blogged about back in June and had their wedding photo on here. She is 87 and is still going strong, and is as cute as ever! Such a treat to see my Grandma!!!


At the end of our stay, our twin daughters, Kari and Kaitlyn, were in the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics in Spokane. They had qualified earlier this summer in Seattle. Kari placed 9th in the 100 meter hurdles, and Kaitlyn placed 5th in the triple jump and qualified for Nationals in Kansas! Unfortunately, a trip to Kansas wasn't in the budget, so we've ordered the t-shirt, and she's just happy to have qualified and also set a new personal record.


I've noticed a problem with my website this evening, and hope I can get it straightened out ASAP! I can't seem to connect, and have an e-mail in to see if we can get this settled! In the meantime, don't forget my patterns can be ordered on Pattern Mart. Just click on "Prindle Mountain Primitives" under "designers".

Is it summer in your neck of the woods? It was yesterday, sort of. 75-80 isn't really as warm as we expect this time of the year, but this year we'll take anything over 65! Today, however, was rainy, wet, and I'd swear it was mid September or even early March! I think our summer may have amounted to the week of it I had in Eastern Washington! I guess I shouldn't complain, though, when I hear about the temperatures some of the country is dealing with!

Hope your summer is going splendidly!

Prim Blessings,

Laurie