We finally made it out to the field to pick strawberries at one of the local farms just a few miles down the road. It turned out to be a beautiful morning for it and we brought the Mister along with us (for his amusement), kicking off our Father's Day weekend on a "sweet" note. With four of us picking our baskets were full in no time despite all the tasting.
There's nothing quite like that first taste of ripe tart strawberries picked fresh from the field. Oh, and they do wonders for your complexion too, so absolutely no guilt if you accidentally eat too many.
Our package from Club Little House had arrived by the time we got home. (Thank You again Amy for organizing this fun swap!) Grace and I went wild opening all the beautifully wrapped little packages and wasted no time adding our new 
treasures to the dollhouse. There will be pictures soon. We should wait for everyone else to get their packages so as not to spoil any surprises.
On Friday, I got around to doing something with these raggedy pants that Sarah handed me two weeks ago, requesting that I make patches for them. Actually, I'd already patched one knee, and these were way beyond patching. I would've tossed them, but this was not an option since she apparently adores them. A LOT. And they still fit. So I 
did what I could with them, which was to cut them off above the knees and add a new hem with a little flourish. Not exactly a new trick or Sunday go-to-meeting, but fine for play and most importantly she's really happy with them. The "belt" on the khaki pair is serged to the side seam and has a little bit of velcro to hold the ties closed, so there's no fussing with ties. I just used scrap materials for these, so there was zero cost. The only downside, is that Sarah now believes her mother can work magic and this morning, I found a broken rubber flip-flop next to my sewing machine. Hmmm...not sure what to do about that!
Wow, what a nice idea for salvaging the pants. They turned out wonderful.
Thanks for sharing all the homey pleasures with us. I'm going to be making jam here pretty soon too! I'm looking forward to seeing all the treasures everyone made for the doll houses.
Posted by: Mrs.Staggs | June 19, 2006 at 11:15 AM
The pants are just adorable! Now, if I could just get some time to go strawberry picking...I'm making progress on one of my unfinished projects. Thanks for the boost!
Posted by: Dana | June 19, 2006 at 11:52 AM
Oh lovely! Absolutely lovely!
Posted by: vegasandvenice | June 19, 2006 at 12:45 PM
there is NOTHING like fresh strawberries... yum. i'm jealous! [great pics btw]
Posted by: lisa s | June 19, 2006 at 01:37 PM
Love those pants! What a cute idea for getting some more wear out of something that had seen better days!
The strawberries (in our garden) are beginning to fade somewhat; they were early this year! YUUMMM! We had a pretty decent- sized crop. I didn't make jam, as I had a lot left in the freezer from last year; however, what we did get or didn't give away, I mashed and put a bit of sugar on them and froze them in quart bags. They will be great for shortcake and for ice cream or for smoothies or baking pies with this winter.
Of all the wonderful goodness that God provides us, the pleasures of early spring and the beginning of summer are unsurpassed! It's a thrill for me to just wear FLIP FLOPS and hang laundry on the line, the rest (like the soft green grass and flowering trees) is heaven!
As always, I look forward to your pictures and your writing and hearing about your family and the adventures (ordinary or otherwise!) and seeing your sewing projects.
Toward your challenge to us to get projects finished, I finally got my craft room cleaned up somewhat, it was in a sorry state after rushing in and doing projects time after time late this winter and I had made myself quite a mess. In fact, it was such a mess, no work could possibly get done in there. But last night, after a few hours spent cleaning it, I got some mending and altering that had long been waiting. It felt SO GOOD! I also cut out an apron I am going to put together tonight. It's one of those that you put over your head and tie on each side with pockets all the way across the lower front. I used three different green retro-y prints. Can't wait to see how it turns out. I think it will come in handy for my raspberry jam-making that will probably begin in a couple of weeks.
Posted by: Joni-MI | June 19, 2006 at 06:05 PM
I absolutely adore the ruffle on the new shorts!!
Posted by: Toni | June 19, 2006 at 08:17 PM
What cute pants...and a great idea! hmmm...it makes me want to rush in and see what could use some extra fun ruffles! And berry picking? sounds like heaven...it's been a litttle hot around AZ lately...too hot to be outside, so I can live vicariously through your blog!
Posted by: sadira | June 19, 2006 at 09:27 PM
While the broken flip-flops might be a bit of a stretch even for you and your magic fingers, judging by some of the transformations I've seen in your photos here (the wool blanket for one & these pants for just a couple of examples); I think Ginger's confidence in your abilities is rather justified!
I can't wait to see the dollhouse photos...
Posted by: tinker | June 19, 2006 at 11:33 PM
Excellent idea for the shorts, they are so cute!
I too can't wait to see pictures of the playhouse and all of your garage sale goodies!
Posted by: Michele | June 20, 2006 at 05:52 AM
We are hoping to go strawberry picking Friday out in Sequim. I LOVE your capri idea. I have a bunch of jeans that fit Chloe but are too long. Guess what I will be doing !!! Thank you !!!! Clarice
Posted by: Clarice | June 20, 2006 at 08:09 AM
Those are just too darn adorable!!
Posted by: Angela | June 20, 2006 at 06:49 PM
These are just too cute, and with a girl who has ruined pair after pair of school pants, I am so excited about a "cute" way to salvage them. I was just going to hem them, but this idea will turn a chore into a creation! Thanks for the post!
Posted by: Bee | June 21, 2006 at 06:46 PM