The search for internet...

I love rural Mississippi. I really do. Except for one thing. Rural Mississippi, and in particular the little town we've moved to, has no internet access (well, unless you want to count dial-up as access...I don't).

McDonald's (about a 10 minute drive from home) has WiFi, but there's a per use charge. Bummer.

The county library has access and it's FREE! And after logging in and successfully doing my puttering around I suddenly can no longer access Facebook because it's blocked by the filter. Bummer again. What's internet without Facebook?

The search continues (but I'm suspecting that there are fees in my future).

If I can get my act together, I've got lots of pictures to post.

Once Upon a Mattress

Germantown Community Theatre did an all kids production of Once Upon a Mattress and performed it outside at the park in Germantown. I had planned on going Friday night, but the storms cancelled the perfomance, so we decided to go Saturday and it worked out that Matthew got home in time and got to go with us!

The kids got their faces painted,

won magic wands by going on a scavenger hunt

(although we had no luck finding a shell or a thistle),

and got to dance on stage before the play!

The play was very cute and we had a wondeful time. But, as soon as the play was over Kenna and Landon wanted to go play on the playgroud. So we went for a few minutes while the crowd cleared out a little.

It must have been an exhausting evening, all three slept past 8 this morning, and then wanted to lay around like "the pirates who don't do anything." :)

Broadway Baby

I have a Broadway baby! Kenna's dance recital was really awesome. For the ballet portion, they set up the stage like a dance studio and the performance was done like a class (which allowed the instructor to cue them visually and verbally). A darling idea! And it was really neat to see what a class looked like. The only problem was the Statler & Waldorf (ala The Muppet Show) critique from behind me. She was so disappointed that they were just "calling out" the positions and that when *she* did dance recitals they did little choreographed dances, not just skills individually. I wanted to say, "Ma'am, this is the choreography, the setting is a dance studio and the "play" is pretending they are in class." But since I'd already kindly told her that it was indeed a very good idea to take the group pictures as they came on stage since they would not be as cooperative after the show (not to mention the costume change) and well worth the little bit of extra time we had to wait between groups. The tap portion of the show was my favorite. The setting for it was the Broadway stage. The littlest ones were dressed in fancy little tutus with pillbox hats and there was a teacher dance partner for each little girl dressed in a 50s style suit with a hat. It was so incredibly cute...their song was "Stepping out with My Baby." All the tap dances were choreographed routines (I hope Statler/Waldorf behind me was happy) and except for the tots, the dance instructors weren't on stage with them. Although, they were apparently in the wings because all the girls were obviously watching them. ;-)

Kenna in her stage makeup. I had to wake her up from a nap to get her ready. I picked her up and held her to help her wake up and suddenly she got down from my lap and wandered away. I found her back in her bed, but when I told her I'd do her makeup, she perked up a little.

The tap routine. Don't you just love how all of them are doing something different? Just makes me laugh. I didn't manage to get a shot of the ballet routine, Kenna was toward the back.

Getting flowers after the show.

We had a wonderful backstage helper who did Kenna's hair and helped her get dressed. A million thanks to Miss Tiffany. I was going to make Kenna choose between dance and gymnastics this fall, but after seeing her dance (she had picked gymnastics) I'm rethinking that decision. ;-)

Don't forget the baby...

Ah, packing. Boxes everywhere, stuff everywhere, and you can never find the tape! But you can't forget the baby, especially when he throws stuff out so *he* can be in the box.

We are in the middle of it with no end in sight. At this rate, we might be ready to move by August. Too bad our moving date is in June. ;-)

Needless to say, there hasn't been an awful lot of sewing going on. I am trying to finish a few "hired" projects and managed to make a big goof yesterday. I made a mighty cute little purse...

Too bad I was *trying* to make a shirt! A little ripping out and a little more stitching and now it's fixed.

Got a skort, another shirt, some baby legs, and a couple of pillowcase painting smocks to do and then I am going to pack up all the sewing stuff. I've just got to figure out where my sewing space is going to be in the new, smaller house. No more taking over the dining room table, unless we want to start eating in the floor. Hmm.... ;-)

Finished Jonah's gown!

I actually got something finished for the baby it was intended for. Now I just have to get it to him before he outgrows it!

On the move

Moving day is June 23 and we are headed to Algoma. The best news is we will have a very nice, large fenced in back yard. The bad news is we won't have DSL...which means no more blogging and no more Facebook. Oh, well. Maybe I can blog from the library.

For Eden

I should really be ashamed that it has taken me this long to make a dress for this sweet baby. I intended to do one for her when she was born (I think I actually meant for that yellow baby dress to be hers, but she's long since outgrown one that size) and then I got to meet her in person at her uncle's wedding and I was going to get it done then. And then I thought, well, I'll just do one for her 1st birthday and I somehow missed that and decided I'd just get it done and send it for Easter, well that came and went too.

But, I've finally finished it! This is actually an inherited UFO...a friend of mine did the smocking on the dress and bonnet, but never got as far as cutting out the dress. I cut out the dress a couple of years ago and never quite got around to finishing it. I have another smocked piece in the same fabric with coordinating smocking that's big enough for Kenna, if I ever get around to constructing it.

Now, I only need to find Ashley's address (if you are reading, email it to me!) and it'll be on it's way. I'm pretty sure it will fit...Riley was cooperative enough to put it on so I could gauge the hem. I didn't go as far as photographing him in it, but he sure looks adorable in a pink bonnet. ;-)