Learning to Read

One of Katy's biggest transformations this year will be learning to read.  Learning to read will open up an entire layer of the world previously lost to her.  Everywhere she goes, she is surrounded by written words and up until this year, they have meant nothing to her.  

But now Katy is learning to read.  She constantly asks me how to spell different words, or she spells words for me.  The other day we were driving and I heard Katy say "Chuck" after passing a very large sign with the name Chuck on it.  The next day we went to Hobby Lobby.  When we parked, Katy insisted that she walk me to the correct store front in the strip mall because she wanted to prove she knew where to go based on having read the Hobby Lobby sign.  She is so eager to read and at this rate, she will be reading by the end of this school year!

Katy Starts School During a Pandemic

Katy started school this year; in 2020, the year of the pandemic.  Because of the pandemic, her first day of school was at home, in my sewing room, on an IPad.  She wasn't nervous at all and neither were Chris and I because she was still at home.  

After about a month of virtual learning, Katy started attending school on campus two days a week.  Because of the pandemic, however, Chris and I were not able to walk Katy into school on her first day of face-to-face instruction.  Instead, Chris drove her to school and left her with a teacher waiting at the curb of the front entry, already aware of the rule that parents must remain in their car at all times during drop off.

Katy was so excited to go to school.  She wasn't nervous at all, not even when it came time to get out of the car on her first day. And why should she have been nervous? She already knew her teacher, she knew the daily routine, and she had seen her classroom and classmates online everyday for the past month.  For all the same reasons, Chris and I weren't very nervous for her. 

It was a strange way to send your first child to school for the first time.  There were no school supplies to buy because now everything must be sanitized and monitored so closely.  There were no first day of school jitters for mom, dad, or student.  There were no exciting walks into the school building together for the first time.  There were no pictures with the teacher or her desk on the first day.  Thank you pandemic for robbing us one of life's more memorable transitions points and turning it into a gradual slide into a new routine.  

The day before Katy started school, I tried to explain to her the significance of what she was starting.  Starting school marked the end of her years at home with little structure and endless amounts of free play.  Starting school was the beginning of 12 plus years of having a large portion of her life planned out for her.  Obviously, Katy didn't understand the gravity of what was about to take place because how could she?  It is something that requires more maturity and life experience than a five-year-old possesses.  Someday, however, she will understand and then she can read this blog and smile at how she wasn't nervous at all; only excited and eager and so very proud of her new backpack.    

Sew Where Have I Been?

 It's been a loooong while since I blogged.  The main culprit is my sewing machine, my serger, my stash of fabric, and all the patterns I want to sew.  Also to blame are my three girls, who looks so darn precious in everything I make that I just want to make more and more and more.  I sew almost daily now, and it's caused me to neglect my blog.  

To try and resuscitate LifeAsASias, I am going to start with a blog about the things I've sewn over the last few months.  About 8 months ago, I bought my first pattern.  Prior to buying patterns, I self-drafted stuff or used free tutorials.  Some of it turned out great, like circle skirts and some t-shirt up-cycles.  

Adorable halter rompers and one of Katy's favorite skirts, all made without a pattern.

Prior to actually trying a digital pattern, I was so intimidated by patterns in general.  I had leisurely read a few old paper patterns and felt so overwhelmed by them.  I assumed all patterns were full of this technical language I couldn't understand. It turns out I was so wrong.  Digital patterns are awesome-sauce.  They are so much easier to use than those old paper patterns.  They have loads of pictures and instructions.  And most pattern makers now have there are online sewing groups full of experienced sewists ready and willing to help out, often with the very pattern you are sewing.  Digital patterns were a game changer for me! 

Chris suggested we take some nice photos of the girls in their first matching outfits I made using some digital patterns.  In hindsight, it was a good idea because I finished these just as the pandemic sent everyone into hibernation.  The girls outgrew them before we were able to start getting out again.  

Since those first pieces, I've sewn more articles of clothing than I can count.  Chris no longer suggests we take photos in any of them.  Instead, I think he secretly rolls his eyes at the amount of clothes hanging in our girls' closets and wonders why I continue to sew.  He has also asked me to sew him something multiple times.  

As much as I want to sew for someone else, I just can't stop sewing for my girls.  I know my window of time is already pretty narrow with Katy.  Soon she will become a lot more opinionated about what she wants to wear and will want mainstream styles and brands. And while I have a little more time with the twins, they won't want to dress alike once they learn they can pick their own clothes.  I have to take advantage of this time while I can. 

So, at first I sewed exclusively wovens.  

Matching rompers from Bebekins Patterns.  One of my favorite patterns.

Skirted Rompers.  These were so great.

Wrinkle free vintage fabrics for the win!

I've made so many diaper covers and bubble shorts.

Matching unicorn dresses because Katy loves unicorns.

Then I started up-cycling thrifted garments and sheets, and sewing with thrifted fabrics.  Get ready for a lot of projects because I really enjoy up-cycling.  It's great to breathe new life into an unwanted piece of fabric.  Thrifted fabrics also wrinkle a lot less than100 percent cotton wovens because they often contain some synthetic fibers. 

Katy wanted a maxi skirt.  A thrifted sheet was perfect.

The blue was one of Chris' shirts that he didn't wear.  This was a learning project.

A huge men's shirt was enough to make the skirt on this top, and....

enough for these rompers for the twins too!

Possible my greatest thrift store find: $3 for all this gorgeous fabric!

The same dress but styled differently; a really great thrift store find!

Ruffle bloomers from a vintage sheet and a thrifted pillowcase.

A shirt to match the ruffle bloomers!

A thrifted flamingo sheet. 

This was a huge women's tunic from The Gap.

A thrifted orange sheet and some thrifted fabric.

I really like the neckline on the back of this one.

The blue is from a thrifted men's shirt and is such dreamy fabric!

A women's linen skirt became these overall playsuits.

The overall playsuits match EVERYTHING.

Yes, they match EVERYTHING!

A vintage floral duvet cover and some thrifted poly-cotton.

One more picture of these because I just love this floral.

The plaid was a thrifted men's shirt.  I really like the curved hem.

Perfect fall dresses. 

As my confidence grew,  I started trying more difficult modifications to patterns.  

For my brother's wedding I tried netting overlay.

I added a high-low skirt and a satin lining.

And the back was pretty killer too with those straps and a sash.

This was a lot of work.

Used some of my fancy stitches.

Those straps again!

Most recently, I've started sewing more with knits. 

Made from a thrifted dress and athletic pants.  There will be lots of
peplums come spring!

 

Katy was over the moon for her first mama-made leotard.

There are more makes, but I'll stop there because I really need to get back to my sewing.  Just kidding!  Kind of....

Holidays 2019...a little late.

Here's a little recap of our holidays 2019, to fill the gaping hole in my blog. 

1.  We celebrated Chris' birthday!

A birthday raspa. 

2.  We spent Thanksgiving at home.  Gigi, Pops, and Grandma Dorothy visited, and we even went shopping on Black Friday. 

Our Thanksgiving dinner table. 

Eating fruit with Grandma Dorothy

The babies were already so big!

We visited a little Christmas village. 

3.  We spent a lot of time outside because the valley is perfect in the winter.

Cami has the cutest little legs.

These dresses are some of my favorites!

Our yard is looking so tropical lately.

4.  We all got sick at some point. 

I know she's sick when she takes naps. 

5.  Katy and I participated in the local Christmas parade with Katy's ballet class.  I had so much fun greeting all the people watching the parade.  A ton of fun!

6.  Katy wore her Santa dress at every opportunity.

7.  We saw Santa twice.  The first time was a surprise visit to Katy's ballet studio, and Katy wanted nothing to do with him.  The second time, Katy was ready.  The babies were champs and didn't cry either time.   Way to go babies!

Annual picture at Bass Pro Shop

8.  We took a family Christmas picture.  Maybe someday we'll be that family that hires a photographer in November to take Christmas pictures (doubtful).  For now (and likely forever) we are the family that uses a tripod and a self-timer a few days before Christmas.  Our timing definitely rules out any ambitious notions of a perfectly posed picture or sending out Christmas cards.

There must be something interesting off to the left.

9.  We hosted a Christmas Cookie decorating event at our house.  I baked soooooo many cookies and sadly have no pictures to prove it.  I hope to make the event an annual tradition so I'll just strive to do better next year.

10.  We played bingo for the first time and were shushed for laughing too much.  We're so rebellious.

11.  We spent Christmas at home, and then at the beach.

Cookies for Santa are ready!

Santa was here and he left a checked-off Santa letter!

Santa's goodies. 

Examining the loot out of the reach of little hands.

The Christmas Unicorn Fairy.

Christmas Day at the beach. 

12.  We visited family a few days after Christmas.  Katy had so much fun with her cousins, and we had fun celebrating New Year's Eve with a big gang of relatives. 

Some of the many Christmas cookies I baked.

Tent snacks.

The cousin gang.

New Year's Eve crew.

13.  And finally, our girls were just overall adorable.  I'm not biased at all.

The Christmas Tree was so much fun.

Cami and her tongue.