The Great Summer To-Do List, v. 2

The very second post on this blog (one year ago at the end of May!) was my summer list of super fun books and activities. I made this blog in the first place to track my progress, to keep me accountable, and to recount my sewing adventures, so it's nice to see it live out a full year and come back to where it started.

Last year I wanted to read:

Grace Bonney's Design Sponge at Home... and I did. I think I checked it out from the library like three times last summer. I should just buy it.
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Yeah, I read that and every other book on a Song of Ice and Fire. I like to call last summer "the summer I lived in Westeros."
The Western Canon by Harold Bloom. That was super boring and I quit so fast.

I wanted to be active by:

Attending movies at the park! We missed every one we wanted to see. Not this year!
Making my own clothes. DONE. More to come.
Host some crafternoons: See above.
Art lessons with my nieces: we never did a dedicated lesson, but we did do some crafts. Two, in fact, which was apparently enough to have my youngest niece asking "did you bring a craft?" every time I come over.

Finally, I wanted to follow tradition by

Attempting and failing to tan: CHECK.
Blueberry picking: CHECK
Float trip: CHECK.
Catch a lightning bug: where was I last summer? Away from all the lightning bugs apparently.
Visit family: done, several times over.

I'm glad I proved to myself I can keep most of a list! Now to move on to this year's:

1. Read Books

1a. Storyteller: the authorized biography of Roald Dahl: Donald Sturrock
I loved Roald Dahl's books growing up. I have already gushed about Matilda here on this blog, but there are so many more that made a mark on me and my imagination: The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (now that's some crazy stuff), the BFG! I was able to sort of grow up with his work; as I moved past elementary picture books, I read his short stories in middle school and still visit them now and again. What was this man like? This summer, I guess I will find out.


2a. The total money makeover: Dave Ramsey
Because I want to save money, ok? Summer is a time for some notorious spending on my part. Maybe reading this, or sleeping with it under my pillow, will help.

3a. Poirot Investigates: by Agatha Christie
I love Christie's mysteries and I love Poirot, so I'm really excited to have found this collection of short Poirot mysteries to tickle my brain. I have a life goal of reading all of Christie's work. I'm nowhere close right now, but this is another step.

2. Be Active

2a. Movies at the park!
2b. Make my own clothes. Specifically finish that Washi dress I cut/new knit Scout tees/a fun fifties style dress with this fabric:

2c: Finish some WIPS. Specifically a picnic blanket quilt I started last summer. It actually just needs to be bound but I hate that part...
2d: Memorize something. I'm not sure what yet, but of course scripture is the first thing that comes to mind. I just feel that I am losing my memorization skills as I get older. I need to pump those up!
2e: Expand my horizons! This summer I will hopefully take an online class on Islam. I am pretty excited about it because I love school and I can't help myself.

3. Follow Tradition

3a: pool time/attempt to tan
3b: blueberry picking
3c: visit family

I hope your summer is filled with lots of fun activities, books, and fun times with friends and family. I'm looking forward to seeing how I do this year! Now that that's done, I'm off to work on list item 2c... wish me luck!

Welcome Back!

This post has been such a long time coming! It is amazing how much time has passed since I last even looked at my blog, let alone contemplated a post. So much happens at the end of the school year for students and teachers alike, and when you add BUYING A HOUSE and MOVING to all of that, life can feel a little cramped... or at least my apartment did. Let's not forget I also did my very first craft fair at the beginning of May and that was an adventure in itself! 

My observant sister added this to her facebook and tagged me. It was pretty appropriate.

Goodness gracious, I was ready for summer. 

Really, I'm still ready for summer. It's hard to believe it's officially started. I still feel like such a busy adult with so many things to do and I have not even had a snow cone! The good news is that I've started to unpack the craft room and will be having some more crafting adventures very shortly. I have several patterns I've been dying to try out/am halfway through and I can't wait to get them all situated! 

In addition to unpacking, there are still several rooms to be painted and the kitchen floor is nonexistent at the moment. Lots of exciting things but it can seem difficult to find the progress when there's so much to do! I feel as if I stop halfway through everything, and one magical day I will finish like five half-completed jobs in a row and feel super good about myself. Come to think of it, I think this is how I sew too...

I'm pretty sure that process is not working. Check back tomorrow for a real update and my annual summer to-do list!

Spring Break Update, Part 2

So I know you're all just dying to know how I did on my Epic Spring Break to-do list, right? Well on Invisible Item No. Infinity, I succeeded. I had a great time enjoying my staycation, and I didn't go anywhere fun except my craft room! Mr. Kopf went camping for a couple of days, but I decided to just stay in my hide out where I have been spending every subsequent weekend, especially after getting this new chair...

I'm so hip and mod, you guys. It's a lot more comfortable than I thought it was going to be. I'm glad I decided to choose style over function when I was browsing the internet.

1. The Washi Dress

I did cut out my fabric for the washi dress! But I have yet to touch any of it. It's all very organized in a bag on the floor. I feel sad about that but I'd rather have that on the floor than a million papers to grade. Someone call my parents and tell them I learned how to prioritize my time.

2. Baby Shoes

I did make baby shoes! But I gave them away to my PREGNANT big sister before I took photos of them. We're all kind of freaking out since it will be my parents' first grandchild, and granted, she is definitely not far enough along to be thinking about baby shoes. She just told me her baby is the size of a grape. I couldn't help myself, though, so I made them as unisex as possible. Gray, white, and orange!

3. Quilting Bee

I had the most success here. On Diary of a Quilter, Amy just posted the third block and I am ecstatic. My first two have turned out so well! Check them out!

Pretty exciting right? I didn't really know what I was doing but my color palate has worked out really well. I love it when I don't have a plan, yet things still end up coming together (that's how it goes, right?) I can't believe I actually got these done! 

And speaking of expanding my horizons...

I am still making, making, making in preparation for my upcoming craft fair. It is now less than one month away and I'm starting to freak out a little bit! I am really excited to have this new experience, and to be able to share it with my mom and my Nana is pretty cool too.

In addition to key fobs galore, I've got pincushions from mason jars and teacups.

So much fun! I think those little elephants might be my favorite...

So a productive Spring Break, and it's been a productive two weeks of school since. We've got two more weeks before we have another break from each other, so this is probably the toughest stretch for the kids--especially with all that sunshine out there.

In other news, if anyone is interested, I have posted some interesting fabric my mom dug up this past Easter weekend. For me, It just screams "childhood." You can buy a yard of it at my etsy shop.