friends

We are getting set for our vacation so things may be a little slower around the Clothesline next week. I'm packing and cleaning and list checking, all the while trying to retain my sanity. I feel pretty relaxed even though my to-do list is still long. In fact, the girls and I spent some time this morning with our friends at the park. The weather was nice, the kids were nice, the conversation was nice, the snacks were nice. Does it get any better?I mean, really. I've moved around a lot and I know the value, the treasure, the blessing of having dear friends, friends that are like family. So when we're going to be away for a week it's always nice to drop everything and spend a few extra hours with friends before leaving. It's good for the kids, it's good for the moms, it's just plain ol' good. Okay, seriously, I really should be packing and all that jazz. Have a great weekend. Happy Friday! xo ANG

bring it

Over the past couple of weeks the weather has been very summery. You know what that means? We're outside as much as possible.

While waiting for some friends one day we had to enjoy this gorgeous pink tree. I don't know what kind of tree it is but it looks like a tree full of carnations.

It was warm enough for swim suits and sprinklers, walks to a playground for some seriously high swinging, and playdates with friends.

The early warm weather also brought about lots and lots of blooming. Above is a variety of tulips. Some from our yard and some from our walk to the playground. Below is a couple of close-ups of the pink tree, a fabulous forsythia, some yellow irises, and my very own daffodils.

We all love being outside to soak up the heat and enjoy all of the color after such a long, cold, snowy winter. Okay, this week is going to be more spring like in temperature...cool and breezy. I prefer it hot...so come on sun...bring it! Happy weekend. xo ANG

what we've been doing

*a little sewing fun for a giveaway...coming soon! Our new furry friend got cozy while I was measuring.

*peeling, breaking, melting, creating...fun!

*continuing to be in awe of God's amazing creation...check out the amount of pollen on that bumble bee's legs!

*mastering the hula hoop...a must for summer fun

*discovering new flowers that are tiny and beautiful (crown vetch)

*fishin'...a.k.a. watching Daddy fish between playground fun and picking flowers

*spending time with friends and loving every second of it!

*realizing why lilies are my favorite flower and why orange is my favorite color.

* oh sure, we've been doing work, too...in the house, in the yard, in the garden but who wants to hear about that?! What have you been doing lately? Something fun, I hope. xo ANG

good things

We've been pretty busy around here lately. Not busy like going here and there, just busy like enjoying family time, playing games, sewing, making changes, and spending time with friends. Here are a few of the good things I'd like to share.

Cold days often keep us inside (and it's been COLD) so my little people have enjoyed playing all snuggled up in my old quilt. It's heavy and warm and so soft with age.
On THE coldest day our friends (which includes the one) came over to play. That's the whole gang together eating a little snack. Most of the other pictures I got came out blurry because there wasn't much stillness once they began playing. But, oh, what a fun time we all had! It's amazing what big smiles are brought to my face when I am sharing coffee and conversation with a dear friend.

Here is my favorite shot of the Some of a Kind/Clothesline Chronicles playdate. Yes, I know it's blurry and the only kid not moving is Henry...apparently he froze because he got caught holding the only doll around! :o) hehehe! Adrienne, I thought you'd love this one! Adrienne and I had a nice time sharing our WIPs over a cup of tea.

This one, well, I was so excited about this one that I was actually a little faint with excitement. Let me explain. I have been wanting some new, pretty curtains for the girls' room for a long time. But, you see, I'm not paying full price for curtains...they're expensive! While we were at Target yesterday Tim found this beautiful pink, 200 thread count, 100% cotton curtain panel on the 75% off clearance rack for a mere $3.74!!!! It was from the Dwell Studio line...new to me...and I loved it. Immediately I dug through the remaining items only to be disappointed that there were no more. Only one panel...I need 4. I clung to the one panel trying to justify buying it. I mean, after all, it was nice, beautiful material. I'd pay more than $3.74 for that much fabric at the fabric store. Plus, I could cut it up and use it for valences or something. Then I looked at the back and saw a picture of a room with a crib and I thought...Dude, I've got to go check the baby section to see if there are any more over there. Oh, I was hopeful...yet it was doubtful. I quickly shuffled calmly made my way to the baby section, and low and behold, right there for all to see was a clearance section with more curtain panels. Oh, how many? Will there be enough? (here comes the faint with excitement part) There were 3 more panels!!! I snatched them all off the shelf and backed away slowly so that no one would be alerted to my fabulous find. So I got 4 beautiful curtain panels for a mere $14.96!!!! They were originally $20 each! That is a savings of $65.04!!! So now do you feel my excitement??? I thought so :o)

One more good thing. Signs of spring! Yes, it's cold and raining/sleeting/supposed to be snowing today, but when we had one warm day of a whopping 50 degrees the girls and I went for a stroll through the neighborhood and in my flower garden I saw some tulips peeking out to say hello. Don't worry, I covered them with leaves so they won't freeze. You're not alone little tulip buds, I'm ready for spring, too...she said with a smile

i don't want to be one of those...

...you know, the blogs that aren't updated very often. You check in on them with great anticipation of the next post, yet there is nothing new. I do apologize to those of you that drop in to check out Clothesline Chronicles. It seems as though time has gotten away from me. With homeschool, vacation, car drama, fall cleaning, and working a little from home...it's been just a little crazy. The working from home part is something I love, but I work most efficiently when the girls are napping, therefore work took over my blogging time. Today, I have decided to write a new post. There is so much going on here that I just can't hold it all in. My mind and my camera are both overflowing. So prepare yourselves, my dear friends, because I've got pictures and stories for you.
*We went for an afternoon walk a couple of weeks ago and came across the coolest mushrooms I have ever seen. They looked just like golf balls on a tee, but bigger, like tennis ball size. The girls wanted to pick them, but alas, they were in someones yard and I didn't want to be traipsing through their grass stealing 'shrooms. **I found some cute lacing cards for the girls to use as part of their school work. The cards have pictures of shapes and words on them...English on the front, Spanish on the back. The girls already know their shapes but learning the Spanish word is fun and the lacing part is fun, too. I think this will be a great calming activity for E, especially when O needs a little quiet time to finish up her school work. I may work on creating some of my own lacing cards so they can have more to choose from...plus, it's the beginning of simple hand sewing and embroidery skills. Now, who wouldn't love that?!

***Play dates are always fun. I try to squeeze in as many as I can this time of year. The weather is perfect and it's before the onslaught of cold/flu season. Here are a few pictures from our most recent fun times at the neighborhood playgrounds. Now you know I have a lot more pictures from these play dates, but I have to draw the line somewhere, right?

I have more fun things to share with you, but nap time is coming to an end. I must awaken my sleeping children and take them outside. The clothesline is full of happy clothes. The smell of autumn is in the air. Go ahead, open your windows and take a deep breath, better yet, go outside and let this new season wrap around you.

thankful thursday

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes the grass to grow on the mountains. Psalm 147:7-8

one - rain, rain, and more rain! - It hasn't rained here since very early in July so I am so thankful for days of rain. I can already see the tomatoes in my garden smiling.

two - beautiful babies - We had a play date with some dear friends the other day that was long overdo...great conversation for the moms, great fun for the kids, I mean really cute kids...here's their youngest, adorable right?!
three - new discoveries - The other day Miss O asked for one of the books high on her bookshelf, you know, the books that are to be admired but not touched, especially by little sister. Well, I gave it to her, then minutes later she asked for another, then she started pulling all the Sweet Pickles books off the shelf that were mine when I was little. Books. Were. Everywhere. She came out of her room about 20 minutes later and said...."Mom! Mom! I can read everything on my shelf!" I, of course, knew she could all along, but she didn't have the want to sit still with books with more words than pictures (we all love a great picture book). She was so excited to discover it. She's only 5 years old and already has her nose in a book most of the time.

pizza, playdate, & poor little birds

Can you smell that? It's pizza...Mmmmm! Pizza is such a normal thing for us to eat, and it's something that we take for granted every time we eat it. I mean, when you want pizza the biggest concern you have is which toppings to get. Am I right? Well, Tim has been on a gluten-free diet for about six months. So, not only has he had to live without buttermilk biscuit ( it pains me just to think about it), but he's also managed to survive without one single slice of pizza. Amazing! Okay, so he has been know to steal the toppings off of any unguarded slice he sees...but it's just not the same. Well, oh happy day...I found gluten-free pizza crust mix and made Tim a pizza. We all had a little slice but the rest was for him. He devoured it. Really it was quite good. It ain't pretty, as you can see by the picture, but for a first try at making pizza with this incredibly sticky dough, it turned out alright. Next time I'll make two pizzas so that the crust will be thinner, and per his request, there will be more cheese! Thank goodness for Bob's Red Mill!

Yesterday we had a play date. Our friends came over and brought their 18 inch dolls so that I could make them some cute dresses...while the girls watched. The goal was to see how interested the girls were in the sewing process. I think they really enjoy it. Although the most fun part was probably choosing just the right fabric :o) I made a couple of dresses for Miss O and Miss E's dolls last week... they got to help with the sewing while I was in charge of the pedal. I wish I had taken pictures, but sewing and taking pictures at the same time that a 5 year old and 3 year old are helping me sew is just a little much. I did, however get pictures from the play date. It helps having another mom around...thanks Heather! Okay, so while I finished up the doll dresses the girls had lots of fun playing dress-up. I didn't have a doll pattern so I just drew a picture of what I wanted the dress to look like...a wrap-around dress...then I measured the dolls and made a pattern on some of our school paper. It seemed to work pretty well. I'd do it again :o)

Okay, now for the sad part. Last night we had a pretty bad storm. Lots of wind and heavy downpours. Although the storm didn't last too long, while it was happening, it was pretty rough. This morning when I got up, and like every other morning, I made my way to every room and opened the blinds. When I got to the kitchen window and opened the blinds I peeked down into the bush to check on our cute little birdies...the nest was gone, or at least most of it...and there were no little birds in sight. I opened the window a crack to see if I could hear them, thinking maybe they were deeper in the bush or on the ground. The only sound I heard was the mama bird squawking angrily from the power line. I watched her for a while and she finally flew down to the ground by the bush. When she finally flew away I opened the window again and raised the screen so I could look down on the ground. Sure enough, one little broken bird. So sad. I didn't see or hear the other two birds, so I am assuming they survived. I never got the perfect shot of the three little birds in the nest, but I did get a few more while I was making dinner yesterday before the storm.



This last picture is my favorite because although this little birdie is sleepy, he is obviously still hungry so he's keeping one eye open so he can be the first to see the mom coming back with the food!

fun with friends

I can't believe I totally forgot to post pictures about the fun we had on our playdate Thursday. The girls are still talking about it and always want to look at the pictures over and over and over and over...you get the idea. So anyway, we met our friends at the park to play one more time before they go away for a few weeks this summer. Every time the subject comes up (our friends leaving for a while) I have to quickly explain that they will be back, they're not moving away, they're just visiting family, they'll be back soon...please don't cry...again! I am so thankful for modern technology that will help us communicate while they're gone. Hey, maybe we'll work on parts of a friendly letter and addressing envelopes so we can send mail the old-fashioned way. Oh, I digress...this is supposed to be about the playdate, not homeschool stuff. So they had loads of fun playing and climbing, swinging, chasing, hiding, eating lunch. Did I mention the weather was so perfect? Seriously, it was like 78 degrees with no humidity...does it get any better than that? Okay, here's some pictures.


We'll miss you, dear friends. We can't wait for you to come back!

playdates, privacy, and promises

Yesterday we had a play date at the house of my friend Mandi. It was a lot of fun. The girls really enjoyed their time together playing dress-up, making a craft, then digging in the dirt. It is tradition now for the four girls to make a craft together, little brother just watches for now. I'm sure when he's a little older he'll want to be right in the middle of it all :o) Anyway, we made windsocks, very simple windsocks. A few supplies, a few little girls, and lots of ribbon and tape. Do they look happy?!


This morning I realized that the amount of privacy I have is very slim. Even when I shut my bedroom door to get dressed for the day there are always some little fingers and toes peeking under the crack. Privacy? Who needs privacy?Okay, so last week I bought some finger paints. My girls have never had that pleasure. It's been sitting on the shelf taunting them. Well, yesterday they asked if we could paint tomorrow...so I promised we would finger paint....today is the day. I am keeping my finger painting promise. I hope they enjoy it. I also promise to not worry about a mess. (we'll be outside...smart,yeah?) I promise to let their creativity blossom.(I won't hover) I promise to take pictures. (gotta capture it) I promise to update later.
UPDATE: It all began with one little finger tip...but then they got the hang of it. They enjoyed mixing the colors and smearing it all around. What fun! I promise those are happy faces they are making :o)

thankful thursday

O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;For you Have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. Isaiah 25:1

one - coffee, freshly brewed, piping hot or iced - After not having my morning coffee for a couple of days I was very grateful that my dear friend Theresa brewed a pot this morning while we were having our playdate.

two - kiddie pools - When I got up this morning the humidity was really high and the temperature was already 77 degrees (at 6:30 a.m.) So for our playdate this morning Theresa filled the little pool for the kids to play in for a while. What fun they had!

three - beautiful children - Although I am terribly biased when it comes to beautiful little girls, I must say these two cuties are melt-your-heart adorable.

3:47 a.m...really?

I will return later for my Thankful Thursday post, but first....Let me just start by saying I love my sleep. It's so nice that Miss E is finally out of her waking up every night with a bad dream phase. I have enjoyed many nights of uninterrupted sleep. Then, last night I hear...mommy (5seconds pass)...mommmmyyyyy (5seconds pass)...MOMMY!
I get out of bed and stumble to the girls room in the dark. I fully anticipate an "I had a bad dream" or "I really have to pee" but no, it's not that at all. It's not even miss E. It's miss O and she whiningly informed me that her ear is clogged and I need to fix it. (overly waxy ears + sleeping with the blanket over your head = clogged ears) Seriously, are you kidding me? It's the middle of the night! Everyone in the house is awake now. No, I 'm not going to get q-tips to clean out your ear in the middle of the night. Sleep on the other ear until it's time to get up. Back to sleep for everyone. What? Still no coffee?! must get coffee.need caffeine.had some tea...not at all like a cuppa coffee in the morning.my friend Theresa to the rescue.kids will play.I will have coffee.

puppy party pics...and more

What a busy morning. We had a fun tea party playdate with the M sisters. Thanks Heidi, we had a lot of fun. I cleverly kept it a secret until we drove up to their house. I usually keep play dates a secret just in case we have to cancel...which saves me from having to explain and saves the girls from boo-hooing about it. Plus, it's fun for them to guess where we are going. So now the girls are taking a nap and I can post some more pictures from the birthday festivities...and some other random things. So lets start with the puppy dress that I made. It has long tie ribbons in the back, you just can't see them. The only things missing are the buttons on the bodice. The fabric store had the perfect buttons, but they were broken so I obviously couldn't buy them. I'll have to swing by there one day this week to see if they got any more yet. The buttons were brown dogs with green collars...matched the dress perfectly. If they don't have them when I go check I'll get some little buttons shaped like dog bones...that'll be cute, too. No, I don't have a picture of Miss E wearing the dress yet...she said it needs buttons first.

Next is the bean bag game. Okay so I made 8 bean bags and a cute matching bag to carry them in. It all turned out great and right now we're making our own targets in the yard out of sticks, or chalk, or frisbees. But I am working out a plan in my mind to make it a complete game with either a target board(you know, with holes cut out of it) or some sort of fabric circles that are weighted (varying sizes for different points to earn). Back to the bean bags. I found bandannas at Walmart that had paw prints. So I got a black one with white paw prints and a hot pink one with black prints and white prints. So cute, really..and only 94 cents each. First, I lined them up and cut out 8 squares, each being 4 inches. They came out really cute, black on one side, pink on the other. Then I filled them...one bag of black beans did the trick. Yes, I like to use beans...they don't call them bean bags for nothin'. Great, got that done, but I had a lot of bandanna fabric left over, and it was so cute. I had to make a matching purse to carry the bean bags. Thankfully, I had some solid hot pink fabric in my stash so I made a purse shape (sketched desired purse shape on paper, cut out, used as pattern) solid pink on outside, pink paw print as the lining. Then I used the black paw print cut two 5 inch wide strips(the entire length of bandanna) sewed those end to end then lined it with the solid pink. Then sewed the long 5inch wide strip to the purse sides. Tied ends of strap in cute knot to show both hot pink and black paw print. I had some extra black paw print left so I cut out a bone shape and sewed it to the outside of purse on solid pink. I didn't finish the edges. No, not because I'm lazy, (okay maybe I am just a little) but I like the frayed look and after I wash it the edges will be perfect. Miss E loves it. The only things I would change would be to have longer strap, put fusible webbing on the bone to make it a little more stiff, and to make the bottom a little more solid somehow, yet still washable. But, she loves it, I'm pleased with the outcome. Now all I have to do is get the idea that is in my head drawn on paper, then sewn into reality. Piece of cake!....Mmmmm cake.

Okay,just two more things today. First, my boss friend Ginny gave us a bag of hand-me-downs the other day. Her daughter is a little older than Miss O, so some of the new-old clothes fit Miss O and some fit Miss E. Yippee! Two happy girls. What adorable clothes they are. They chose these outfits first and had to model them for me. Sickening isn't it?...how cute they are! Second, the other day it was nice and warm and the girls wanted to paint with their water colors.

Miss O - Mom can I paint?

me - I guess so.

Miss E - Me too, me too!

me - I know! Why don't we paint outside...it's nice a sunny, it'll be fun!

Miss O and E - Yay!

Yeah, I'm smart like that :o) No splatter-y mess in my house...hee hee. I got some really cute pictures I thought you might enjoy.
They had some great fun. I love these pictures...and this is just the beginning of summer. There's so much more fun to come!