Look who came to play!

Two very sweet little friends arrived all the way from jolly old England earlier in the week. These girls got outta Dodge just in time to avoid the wedding crowds!

Katy and I did a little swap. I think her dollies are so adorable and she was looking to reduce the carpet of threads on her floor (and likely inside her cats), so we swapped A thread catcher for A doll. Except Katy was a cheeky monkey and snuck an extra friend into her envelope. I suppose overseas travel is more enjoyable if you've got a friend along.

When D got home from school, I told her a special package had arrived for us that day. I was worried we wouldn't be able to decide who got to adopt who. D actually asked me "well, which one do you want?". Since D is the one in our family who has the real blonde hair, I chose Brunette for myself so that she could have Blondie (we're in the market for more imaginative names).

I hope all of my mommy readers in North America have a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday. Tomorrow, I'll be spending the day with about 20 other moms from school at our annual Mom's Crafting Retreat that I started 3 years ago. We sew, make jewelry, scrapbook, knit, organize photos, paint, hem pants, cross stitch. Whatever people want to do for 12 hours of uninterrupted MOMMY TIME. It is really fun to get to know each other better and share our love of crafting, since most of us craft at home in isolation! I encourage you to reach out to other women in your community and organize a get together one day. We order deli sandwiches for lunch and have a potluck dinner. All I do is rent the hall and provide hot and cold drinks all day - easy peasy!

These are NOT my Hooters

Full disclosure up front for those of you who hi-grade blogs for photos and pass over the details in the text: I DIDN'T MAKE THESE.

But I had to show them to you because they are so stinkin' cute!! This handsome duo live on Mayne Island now, at Rebecca's house. Jo Ann and Andrea made them as hostess gifts for our retreat last weekend. Lest you think all I brought was a container of granola, I did sew up 6 cloth napkins for Rebecca made out of Day of the Dead skull fabric (she's got a think for skulls...and owls...and schnauzers).

The girls used a pattern by Abigail Patner Glassenberg from the book Softies Only a Mother Could Love. Jo Ann had some recycled, felted wool sweaters to use. I think my favorite part are their ears. So cute!

I think these hooters are very happy and excited to be all nested down in their new habitat!

And just in case you were wondering about my hooters, I recently received news that all is normal. That wasn't so bad. First of many boob sandwiches complete without incident. The nice thing about our system here in B.C. is that the Cancer Agency sends your results not only to your doctor, but directly to your home. I like that. If you are a woman over 40 and you haven't booked your annual mammogram for 2011, pick up the phone already!