I Wish I Had One

They say you always give people gifts you wish you owned. I kind of pride myself on trying to give thoughtful gifts that are something the recipient would love to have. This time, though, I'd kind of like to keep it for myself...

Yesterday my husband mentioned that tomorrow is my mother-in-law's birthday. Normally, they don't make a big fuss about that kind of thing in his family. This time, though, since both my husband and his mother are leaving early tomorrow morning for a short business trip (he happened to be able to hitch a ride with her), she's staying the night at our place. I feel a bit funny about seeing someone on their birthday and practically ignoring it. So, I threw an easy apricot pie in the oven while our bread was baking. Then, it occurred to me that I could pretty easily make something I know she has been wanting out of some fabric I'm certain she would like.

I know all this, because the fabric is some beautiful batik (cotton or maybe linen) that she bought back in the 70's when my husband's family was living in Africa (he has fond memories of jumping from one dried elephant patty to the next). The last time I saw her, she gave it to me, happy to know it would finally be put to good use. She had seen how much I have been sewing lately and decided that I should have it. It was a spur-of-the-moment kindness, and I really wanted to make her something out of it, since she had said she had originally wanted to make something with it but never ended up doing so (she doesn't really sew much).

She may not be a seamstress, but she's an excellent knitter who always has something on her needles. She tends to stick to kids' sweaters for all her many grandchildren, but she still has amassed an amazing collection of various needles (big and small). She tends to jam them all into a glass jar (which we've probably all heard isn't great for their tips). What she really needed was a handy cloth needle case. So, I sat down and made one for her today. It got in the way of me finishing an apron I'm making for myself, but it's a sacrifice I was willing to make. Oh, woe is me, I was forced to use that nice, old sewing machine of mine (whose brand is Luxor, by the way - it's French made and dates from at least the early 50's, I'd say by the date on the needles that were in the box). Not to mention this batik fabric. So pretty, and I happened to have a pink corduroy that matched it perfectly (My husband seems to think that given the size of my fabric stash, this really isn't much of a coincidence, but he knows nothing when it comes to real fabric stashes - mine is meager, I assure you.).

The lining is the batik (from Kenya, since I forgot to mention it earlier) and the outside is the corduroy I had leftover from some pants for Lambchop #1 that didn't turn out all that well. I also had the idea that it would be pretty to add a patch of the batik (because I love it so much) to the outside as well as making the ties with it. The only problem with that is that in order for it to show nicely, it had to be placed where I needed to also sew lines for the needles to have little pockets. So, that part is not quite as nice as I had hoped, but she really liked it and was happy to receive such a practical gift (now I see where her son gets it). She isn't one for keeping many objects around, which explains why buying birthday gifts isn't a big thing in this family. But if the object in question has a really good purpose, she's happy to receive it, so I chose well.

Now that I take another look at the pictures of that patch of batik on the outside of it, I don't think it's that bad. You would never have it laying open like that, and it looks very nice rolled up with its patch. You don't see the lines I had to sew all that much.

And, now, just because my mom is having yet another of those days at the office, I'll give you a couple of baby pictures. This little one is a live wire, let me tell you. The other two walked at a pretty early age, so it doesn't surprise me to see her wanting to get around now. She's 9-and-a-half months, and for the past few weeks she's been able to make her way around the rooms of our house a little too well. She loves to pull herself up into a standing position now. Even though she can't walk yet, that doesn't seem to phase her. She's perfectly comfortable climbing things anyway. Yeah, you read right. Climbing things. Like stairs or my sewing box. You know, just whatever might help her get higher. Have to keep an eye on this girl.

Like a caged animal. "Somebody please let me out of here!"

"Better yet, my feet are little. Maybe I could learn to climb this thing."



It is hard work, though. She's just beside herself with... fatigue?

Always Listen To Your Mother...

Or not. Whichever.

I got in the mood to change my hair yesterday. This used to happen to me quite a bit. I was a hormonally imbalanced teenager. Cutting my hair was what I did at least once a month. I always did it myself. So, I've gotten pretty good at messing with my own hair when the mood strikes me.

Yesterday, I was kind of in the mood for something drastic. Not purple hair kind of drastic, but chopping off my bangs kind of drastic. I just couldn't convince myself to do it. So, I asked my husband. He gave the usual husband opinion of, "Don't do it if it's going to bug you the whole time it takes to grow back out, because I'll have to hear about it." Yeah, helpful, huh? So, I did the only other thing I could think to do at midnight. I called my mommy in another time zone. She's the ultimate non-advice giver. It's actually a personal motto of hers not to give out advice. I told her I needed advice, and she immediately told me she might not have any to give. So, I presented her with the dilemma. Her response was typical Mom. Wait till morning, wash and style your hair, and then see what you want to do. I went to bed thinking Mom was pretty darn smart: #1, she didn't actually give any real advice, so she can't get in trouble for giving the wrong advice, and #2, she told me to sleep on it. Not bad advice to give at midnight, really.

Here's the real problem, though. I woke up to a house without water this morning. The pump wasn't turned on, and the cistern went dry. You didn't think of that, did you Mom? So, now what? Well, we ignore Mom, naturally. So, I took a deep breath, held it in and chopped my bangs. It took all of 2 minutes to drastically change my hair. And, I think I like it, though it needs to be washed and styled to be sure (and I've been told I've got a couple more hours till there will be water). So, what do you think? Please excuse the paleness (I've not been brave enough to go outside much these days with the 50 mph winds whipping through our property these days). The silly poses there's just no excuse for. Like I said, it needs a good washing and styling to not look quite so stringy, but I'm thinking it's a change for the better (I know, you didn't see the before shot).

Okay, now for the important stuff. I did quite a few little sewing projects yesterday and this morning (and one semi-big one). I fixed a nursing bra that I like to wear but whose clasp had snapped. You don't really need to see that, so we'll move on to the baby stuff instead.

First, let me apologize for the orientation of this picture. I've rotated it in iPhoto, but it doesn't seem to want to show up that way when I upload it. Sorry. You'll have to live with it this time (apparently, I couldn't live with it - came back and fixed it later by quitting and reopening iPhoto, in case you ever need to know). This is a little outfit I was given when Lambchop #1 was still in the belly. It was a garage sale special, and I know Lambchop #1 got some use out of it. She even gave the little bib a couple of nice stains. That's why I took the bib off (well, that and the fact that I'm not a huge bib fan). I didn't really want to throw the whole outfit away. Maybe I'm a sucker for seersucker. So, I detached the bib part and added a little rickrack to spice it up a bit. I think I like it better this way. Maybe it's not quite so fancy but it's more my style. And, since the outfit was free and that's most likely less than 20 cent's worth of rickrack, it's a pretty frugal restyling job.

Next is a little shirt I bought on sale a long time ago for 2 euros. I liked the cut, and I was planning to add some embroidery and give it to my sister-in-law's daughter. Only, I don't embroider and am unlikely to learn anytime soon, and the kid's now too big for it. Luckily, I had a girl. And, even luckier I have another sister-in-law who sent me a really cute collection of ribbons she bought a while back. I was able to dress the shirt up nicely with this one.

I was going to show you a before picture, but I didn't remember to take one till I already had the bottom section pinned down. I think you can picture it without the ribbon around the collar and bottom to get the idea of how plain it was before. I think it's really cute this way. Thanks, Aunt Dis. You gave me the perfect tool to fix this shirt up.

Here's a close-up so you can see the ribbon a little better. Perhaps it doesn't look like a professional installation job, but it'll do. I'm still not a pro at attaching ribbons, rickrack or bias tape, but I'm learning.

Now on to the big project of yesterday. I spent most of yesterday's sewing time on this one. I really love the way it turned out. I also love the fact that didn't buy anything new to make it. A while back, most of the grocery stores agreed to stop handing out plastic bags with groceries. Instead, they make you purchase slightly sturdier plastic bags and these funky material (plastic tarp stuff) heavy-duty bags. They're reusable and exchangeable, but they still irritate me. First, you have to buy them. Second, I used to reuse the other plastic bags for trash - now I have to buy trash bags so where am I doing any good for the environment?? And, third, they're really not all that sturdy, and it's a hassle to exchange them. I'd much rather have a pretty cloth one made from leftover fabric from my stash. So, I measured one of the store-bought ones and made my own.

Here it is:

Any Ikea shoppers may recognize the gray and black fabric to be a shower curtain. We bought one with a gift certificate we were given. Our shower stall is narrow, and the curtain was too wide, so I cut it and saved the excess material. The purple lining is some canvas that I used to make curtains for the bathroom (so this bag really matches the bathroom well). I had leftovers since it was double-wide upholstery fabric. The strap is made from a strip of fake leather I had bought for use as slipper bottoms (I changed my mind about the slippers, so I never used the fabric). I am very happy with it and can't wait to go shopping in style.

It's huge, too. Take a look at the inside. Imagine all the stuff you can fit in there. I just hope it'll be sturdy enough. I can't picture it falling apart as easily as the bags they sell you at the store, so I figure this will be fine.

Now, I have one last thing to show off before your eyes glaze over (don't tell me if they already have - I'd prefer to remain delusional). It's a little shot of my knitted cardigan tank. It's coming along nicely, and I thought I might be nearing the point where I should start the arm holes. I wasn't sure, so I steam blocked it a little with the iron to check. Here it is blocking.

You get a much better idea of what the lace will look like here than you got the last time I showed it to you. I love this lace. I think it's so pretty. I can't wait till I finish this cardigan. I guess that means I should really work on it more often, right? No big deal. I'll still have time before it gets too hot. With all the wind we've got these days, it's not yet the right weather for it. Anyway, see that band of lace that continues all the way up the edge? That'll be the button band. I'm kind of anxious to see how it'll look with the buttons going up it.

Well, I'm lucky today, because I get to hitch a ride with my husband to the fabric store to finally get a zipper for that blue dress. I'm also hoping to make a little stop at the thrift store. I have the excuse that I'd like to dump some old clothes, but we really know that I just want to feed my new thrifted sheet addiction.

It Fits (And She likes It)!

I think maybe she's practicing her circus routine or something for this picture. I don't know. All I know is that chocolate Easter egg in her mouth makes her look like a chipmunk. Anyway, the good news is my efforts weren't in vain. She seems to like it. She looks cute in it, at least.

And, next up is a pair of shorts I made for the baby. I did this last weekend but she dirtied them before I could get the evidence. You can tell from these two projects that I've been playing with the decorative stitches on my machine.

This pair of shorts started out as my t-shirt. It first became a badly-designed skirt for the big girl. Through all this, I left the original hem intact. I just used a particular stitch along the edge of the fabric to get the scallops. Then, I put some elastic thread in the bobbin and sewed a couple of straight lines to make it gather a bit around the leg. Tada! Quickie bloomers. I like this style and will probably try it again soon.

Here's the full view (but you don't see the shorts much):

Tonight, I put together some jean shorts I had cut out for my boy last summer. He couldn't sleep, so he sat next to me and watched a while. I had him test a leg partway through to see if they might fit, and I think I may get lucky there. They're all ready for him to wear tomorrow morning.

And, one last little picture to please the fambly. I find it funny how we all look like we're sprouting up out of the bed sheets. Too bad my arms aren't longer. I could have gotten all of my munchkins in the picture with me.

My Favorite Furniture

Here is my favorite piece of furniture. Can you guess why? Yeah, it's not so much the furniture itself as what is inside it. This is the home of my entire yarn stash and most of my sewing goodies. I actually have some more fabric floating around here and in the old house still, but it'll be coming over shortly.

I was finally lucky enough to have this cabinet moved over here yesterday from the old house. It's huge, cumbersome and very heavy, so I think it took a lot of mental preparation to work up the nerve to move it. The left side has always been somewhat well-organized, but the right side was a mess. I spent all evening yesterday and most of today organizing it all and winding up all the odd balls of yarn that had gotten tangled up together (well, I'll admit there are a couple I still haven't worked up the courage to attack).

A little tour:

On the left side of the armoire in the sock hanger thing there are tons of balls of yarn. I highly recommend this kind of storage. I love keeping them this way. Most of the yarn in here is Anny Blatt/Bouton d'Or stuff I got last time I went to one of their sales (a couple of years ago). There's also some Knit Picks and that skein of lovely sock yarn I received the other day from Jo. Below that is some fiber to spin someday. Behind it is my sewing pattern tracing paper and my swift. To the left of it, in the plastic drawer tower is the bulk of my yarn. In the bottom drawer is almost all my cotton and linen. The rest of the drawers contain all the animal fibers. Sitting on top of that is a plastic bin tower that holds an assortment of works in progress that have either been abandoned or put on hold for various reasons. There are also some odd balls of yarn that don't fit in the drawers.

On the right side of the armoire, you'll find all of my pattern books (second shelf), sewing books and reference books for all the crafty endeavors I might feel like partaking in at any given time. Above that, on the top shelf, is a combination of things. Mostly, there are odd balls of yarns I was either given or have accumulated that don't fit in the drawers on the left. There is also a ton of cotton hiding in there. My mother-in-law tends to toss yarn in drawers, where all the assorted balls and skeins mingle and hang out until they have become one. At that point, she's not all that interested in dealing with them. I was told once that anything I could untangle was mine. There must be more than a pound of cotton washcloth yarn in there. I imagine I'll give some of it back to her now that I've wound it all into nice, little center-pull balls (love that ball-winder!). There is also a bag that holds the yarn intended for the Deep-V Argyle Vest (I'm itching to start that, but I haven't gotten the time yet. There are some things I'd like to get off the needles first, too.). On that same shelf, there are also lots of various yarn samples. Oh, and a bunch of sewing patterns are crammed into a folder in there, too.

On the third shelf down, I have a rather large tackle box thing that I'm considering giving to my son to play with. It seems to take up way to much room in my cabinet, and it's so impractical to pull it out and put it back in that I rarely keep anything I use much in there. I think the space would be much better used for fabric and my sewing notions (which aren't currently in the cabinet. You also see my handy-dandy ball winder (Did I mention that I love that thing?), a couple of boxes of moth repellent (definite must around here), a brown bag full of Kool-Aid (yep, only a knitter would keep drink mix in a cabinet in the livingroom), and two cases of interchangeable needles.

The bottom shelf on the right has what portion of my fabric stash I have rounded up so far and a box with some organic cotton to spin up. On the right on that same shelf is a sweater currently being unwound to be reknit, various shirts to chop up for the rug I'm making, the rug itself and a couple of balls of the shirt "yarn" all wound up and ready to be knit.

Below that bottom shelf is a little drawer. Inside it is a mixture of gauge swatches, some felted, some not. There is also an assortment of tiny leftover balls and all the ball bands I've ever remembered to keep.

So, there you have it. It's probably not the most modest yarn stash out there, but by no means is it the largest. I'm happy to say that I could most likely knit all of that yarn in my lifetime, so that's a plus. My goal is to keep it at that manageable size and allow the cabinet to be the limit. As long as it fits, I figure it's okay to have it. The best thing about keeping all of these things in this one cabinet is that it has a lock and a key that work. No little fingers can go roaming through my stash, and my husband just isn't interested. This means that when I organize it, it stays organized. The only reason the right side of the cabinet was a mess is because it had never been organized in the first place. It also makes a wonderful place to hide Christmas and birthday presents (like the two puzzle hiding out in the back on the top shelf). Love being a sneaky momma, and you just never know when you'll need a puzzle for a kids' party. Now, if only I could fit a little bed in there and cozy up to all the fuzzy fibers and make that my new ultra-organized home, because the rest of the house is still a mess.

Getting To Know You...

Getting to know all about you. Remember that song? Along with "You Are My Sunshine," I think my mother used to sing it to me when I was little - that and a bedtime version of Simon & Garfunkel's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover". Don't worry. It was all very G-rated the way she sang it... "Get in bed Fred," etc.

All of that is totally off subject, though. It's just the first song reference that has anything to do with what I want to talk about. As I mentioned in my last post, I am getting to know my camera better. And, you know, it's got quite a few capabilities I wasn't aware of. If you've got a digital camera with all sorts of little pictograms and menus everywhere, but you don't know what they mean, I suggest you read the manual. I know, sounds like drastic measures, but, you know, they say that the Japanese have a much higher success rate with condoms because they read the instructions. I'll bet the same could be said for cameras. Don't tell me you don't have time to read it, either. Read it instead of the morning paper one day. Or instead of a few blogs. It'll be worth it. In fact, it's sure to make your blog look better. You may just find a new interest in photography. Watch out, though, because it can also give you a deep need desire for a much fancier camera that just might hamper your ability to purchase other necessities like... yarn and needles and, I don't know... food, maybe.

Seriously, it could become an obsession. I mean, I was so eager to try out my new-found knowledge in daylight that I took these pictures at breakfast. Couldn't wait. Just to vary the poses, I've got them growling like animals here. They seemed to be having fun. Incidentally, Lambchop #2 would make an excellent model No, that's not a proud mommy tooting her own horn. I just mean that when you tell him to do something or pose some special way, he'll do exactly that and actually stay there. Lambchop #1 is a little more antsy, and Lambchop #3 just likes to grab for the camera.

I've even taken quite a few shots of my current knitting just to see how best to shoot it to get a nice image with good color and all. I may or may not have taken more pictures of this ball of yarn and Co. than I took of the kids this morning. In my defense, though, they move a lot more, and I had to get them dressed for school, too. The knitting is patient and waits till after they're gone and the house is quiet.

This will eventually become a little summer t-shirt I'm designing for Lambchop #3. She looks pretty cute in purple, and I've had this yarn for years (Patons Grace, which is 100% mercerized cotton). I originally bought it to make a little something for Lambchop #1. Inspiration never came, though, and now it wouldn't be enough yarn to make anything for her. It should work out fine for the baby, though. The t-shirt I'm making will hopefully be entirely or almost entirely seamless, depending out whether I knit the sleeves in the round like the body. We'll see when I get there. And, if it turns out like I'm hoping, I may just share the pattern with you.

I think we can safely say that with better knowledge of my camera's functions and my new computer, with its faster picture uploads, you will see more and more photos on the blog - something my family will surely enjoy, since my children are often the subjects. And, with any luck, they'll be nicer to look at, too.

The Silver Lining

It would appear that I have a lot to say these days. I seem to be blogging much more than usual. Maybe not having my computer in the house for so long made me grow fonder of the whole blog world. Or maybe it's just because I have so many projects going at the moment. Sure, the house is a tiny bit messy, but haven't we come to expect that from me? I have to enjoy my life, too, right? So, I craft. Given the last several posts' content, though, you'd think I have given up knitting altogether. Not true. In fact, I have a couple of projects actively on the needles these days. I'll admit they're mindless ones, but a project's a project's a project.

I still pull out my little alpaca vest I've been working on when the mood strikes me. I may get it ready before it gets too hot to wear it. Then again, I may not. Then, there's the knitted rug. Remember that one? Every knitter and their cat are resurrecting old projects to either finish or rip out and get rid of. I haven't joined along, officially, but maybe I've been inspired. Or, perhaps inspiration came in the form of tiny slits in all my shirts (caused by the kitchen cabinet, remember?). There's nothing like new "yarn" to get a knitter going. I've got plenty of new colors now, so I've set to work chopping the shirts up, knitting the resulting "yarn".

The long strip of dark gray as well as the long blue one just before it are the new additions. The rest of it has been there for months, waiting to be added to. The previous parts came from button-down shirts, which are a real pain to cut up. That was all I had to work with, though, so I went with it. The last two sections I recently added come from two long-sleeved t-shirts I had. I'm planning to massacre a red one pretty soon, so that should add some life to the thing. I have no idea if I'm actually going to like this rug when it's done, but I'm going with the flow of it for now. No plan of action for the arrangement of colors, either. Just letting the next available shirt decide. I'm pretty excited that I have a green one coming up. That should really spice things up (see what passes for excitement around here?).

On the sewing front, I still haven't found the time to put my kimono shirt together. I've already got a quick new project planned, though. As I was leaving the thrift shop the last time I went, I fondled a black and white striped tank top. Doing so caused it to fall off its hanger. This, in turn, made the shopkeepers think I wanted it, but I had already paid. They, literally, receive tons of clothes. They don't know what to do with them all. So, they gave the fallen shirt to me. It's not even my size, and I'm even sure that after significant weight loss its intentionally tight design would ever look good on me. The upside is that with a slight modification to the straps (which will be easy, given the way they are attached), it'll fit Lambchop #1 nicely (like a slightly loose-fitting long shirt for now). I've ransacked my smallish fabric stash to find something to make ruffles to attach to the bottom of the tank to get a nice summer dress. There wasn't really anything that would work, though. I'm planning a trip to the fabric store this week to find some (among other things). My preference would be some bright pink and some lime green. I think that using those two colors for skirt ruffles would make an adorable, very modern-looking dress for her.

Well, Lambchop #3 would like to do some typing for you. I'll let her say a few words, then we've got lunch to prepare...
b b0- b i ok,nbbbbbbbbbbb

I think we all know what she means. But in case, you weren't sure, let's let her reiterate:
uyv kvb7 vb c m 4 8k0k0

Yep, that's what I understood the first time.

I Totally Forgot About That

Yo yo yo yo! (That's the only thing I can think of when I see this picture.)


I just got my new computer set up enough to get out the camera and hook it up. For the first time in months, I have actually uploaded some pictures I took long ago. And, surprise, surprise! What did I see there? Some projects I had been meaning to show off here but never got around to posting about.

Do you remember a while back when I had mentioned that I was knitting a bunch of hats? Yeah, you probably don't. That's my point. It's been a really long time. Well, here is a picture of one of them. This one is my favorite of all the hats I made. It just makes me laugh. There's a little story behind this one. I made a cute little Superman hat for Lambchop #2. I finished it up one night at dinner at my mother-in-law's. My brother-in-law happened to be there, and he was actually jealous. He instantly fell in love with the hat and said he'd love to have one, too. Did I mention he's in his mid-thirties? See, here in France, the height of fashion is to have a garment that is completely unique. Well, he definitely got that. So, anyway, I made him one, and I was really pleased with both how it turned out, as well as his reaction to it. He was very excited to see it, because I think he only half-expected me to make it for him. Then, he happened to receive it on the same day he lost his other hat. Couldn't get much better timing than that.



What I didn't forget about was the sheepies. You guys really like your animals - or is it just the furry ones that have the potential to produce knitting yarn? Unfortunately, these aren't really that kind. We won't hold that against them, though, because they are really cute. They are a local breed that is on the way out - I don't know if they would say extinction, but it's a rare breed. It's called the Caussenarde des Garrigues breed. There is a lot of tradition surrounding these sheep. They have these special bells they wear when in transit as well as these funny little red pompoms. My husband is interested in helping to preserve the breed. I'm interested in inviting them over for Sunday brunch, if you know what I mean. Okay, I'm teasing about that, but they are a meat breed. We'll just have to wait and see if I'll actually be able to eat them after having their cute little faces stare at me all wide-eyed like that.

So, how did I lose them? It's actually pretty easy to lose a small herd of sheep if you're really careful about it. All you have to do is put them between you and the gate. It's made even easier if, just on the outside of the gate, there is a huge pile of very appetising-looking hay. So, I had fed them, and was going over to get their water buckets to refill them when they saw that really tasty pile of hay. There wasn't much else I could do at that point. I then spent the next hour chasing them. First, I tried carefully maneuvering them back into their pin by putting myself in the places I didn't want them to go. Didn't work. They had too many options. I finally ended up accidentally startling them, and they bolted. They ran so fast, I decided to get the kids' help. Yes, I was going to count on a three-year-old and a five-year-old to help me round up 15 sheep. Forget the fact that they were both feverish with the flu and it was rainy outside. "Don't worry about changing clothes, kids, the sheep don't mind your pjs." Because I'm a caring mother.



So, we all piled into the Land Rover and hunted them down. They had actually gone pretty far. I found them in one of our lower vineyards munching on some bushes. So, I came at them with the car (slowly, of course), and made them want to go up hill to their pin. This was a slow process, but it was working. Then, I came to a fork in the road. I asked Lambchop #1 to get out and walk up one side of the fork while I walked up the other. She got a little overzealous and ran at them. This made them run, and boy do sheep run fast. I had no idea. They look all slow, but they're not at all. In fact, that's they're only line of defense. That and their herding instinct. They have no strength and no teeth or claws, so they can only run. And, run, they do.

So, we all got back in the car and headed up hill. They had ended up not too far from their pin. I tried placing a kid on either side of the winery in an attempt to get them back in their pin. I told Lambchop #2 to just wave his hands if he saw the sheep. Don't count on the help of a sick three-year-old for rounding up a herd of animals, though. It just didn't end well. The second I was out of sight, he started to cry and search for me. He was half-hysterical, saying he had waved his arms (forgetting the part about seeing sheep before you wave). He just didn't quite grasp the instructions. So, I gave up and called my husband. I whimpered to him about how sorry I was for losing his brand-new sheep. He and his father both reassured me that you just don't lose sheep like that, and they'd turn up. Sure enough, they did.

Took my husband all of 30 minutes to find them and get them back in their pin when he got home. In the meantime, they had a lovely couple days investigating the parts of our property they wouldn't normally get to see. And, I got to feel like I was on the Simple Life without my Gucci bag and Manolo Blahnik shoes. Talk about feeling underdressed for the party!


And, here is one last picture of them for you. See the one with her leg up? Those little legs really move, I'm telling you.