I haven't been sewing for just Holly. I've been sewing for Greta too even though she gets to have all of Holly's hand-me-downs. I'm laughing to myself as I write this because I had originally cut this dress out for Holly but I couldn't get to it, so I sewed it up for Greta. Hand-me-downs in more than one way! It's still a bit big on her, I think it'll fit all the way into next spring, maybe even summer, which is just fine by me because my favourite length of skirt on my girls is to the top of the knee. I love the red gingham and the full skirt. I used McCall pattern 5791, which is a favourite.

This dress took about 3 hours start to finish to make and I really like how it turned out. I used this pattern and this tutorial for the pockets. I especially loved how easy it was to whip up!

I panicked. Completely panicked. This may be the last warm week. We may not be able to go to the beach in t-shirts again for a long time and by then, Greta will be walking and a whole 'nother baby. Which of course will be super fun, but it just won't be the same. Especially if she copies her sister and is awful at letting me take photos of her. And Holly, she'll be bigger and taller and more grown up and there will be less baby fat on her bones. So I panicked and packed up the girls and headed for the beach. And we'll do it again later this week because you just never know. And then I was that Mom at the beach. No, not the one with the baby belly flub in a string bikini sporting a really bad fake tan. I was the Mom who was totally camera crazy because if I could've frozen time, I would've. We had such a lovely time. The highlight was getting Holly in the water. She's been afraid of it even since the ocean nearly sucked her in. But, yesterday, I had enough. My daughter was going to love the ocean no matter what. I scooped that little girl up and held her and let the water wash over my feet and I talked about it with her. It was the bubbles that sold her. After that, we spent a good long while, holding hands running around in the waves, screaming and laughing. If I could've frozen time... I was perfectly happy playing with Holly in the ocean and holding Greta on my hip. Except that my arm hurt from holding Greta on my hip. The whole way home, Holly talked about the bubbles. And it was a long drive home because I got turned around more than once and was stubborn and wouldn't take out the GPS. 

Greta became a real baby and ate sand for the first time. She loved picking it up and letting it fall out of her hand and then naturally, she wanted to know how it would taste. So into her mouth it went. And I laughed and scolded half-heartedly until I knew that it really couldn't continue and I moved her out of reach of the sand. And then I noticed Holly taste the sand a couple times because she obviously wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I'll be laughing about that for the rest of my life.

For me, there's something so magical about the beach and the ocean. I always feel happy and content when I'm there. And that's why I drive a long ways and haul my two young children to the beach all by myself. It's absolutely worth it.

I'm officially in love with San Francisco. It's so darling. I kind of wish we lived there. Except then Conor's commute would be longer. I can't have it all. We headed up to the city after a leisurely morning. Our best laid plans had to be changed, but we still had a lovely time. We picnicked in Sausolito in a little park that opened up to the water. Holly loved throwing rocks into the water. We were planning on taking a little stroll on the golden gate, but Greta was fussy and a little pukey (she had shots on Friday), so we decided to postpone that event and we went directly to a confectionary that I wanted to go to - Miette. It was as cute as it was promised to be. I ate my first parisian macaron and it was delicious! The texture was divine and I fully intend to master making them in my own kitchen. Now I just need to schedule well-behaved time with my daughters. Ha! We also went to a little ice cream shop that we wanted to try but we couldn't remember the name. It was a perfect coincidence that it was right across the street from Miette.

On the drive home, I asked Holly what her favourite part of the day was. And she remembered and brought up a dog she had met at a park, named "Lola." Holly was smitten with the dog and the owner's were so kind and gracious about Holly's obsessing! I wish I had taken a photo of her and the dog.

I was so excited to make something boyish for my cousin Delaine. It was fun to work with these fabrics as they're so different from what I'm typically shopping for and using. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I bought a free motion foot and quilted it all special. It was my first time doing this and even though I was worrying about it until I finally did it, it turned out pretty good. And oh how I love zig-zag! Last night I was telling Conor about the plans I'm hatching for my next zig-zag quilt.