We were in need of a garden flag for our house. It’s late June and I still had an Easter one waving in the wind. I ordered a new one and Jimmy thought it was funny that I included the pets. They’re my love bugs, too!

We’ve been doing all sorts of crafting here in the Zottola household! My niece, Olive, is turning two next month. I decided to customize a jean jacket for her with her name on it and some cute details like patches and pearls.

I had so much fun doing that! It inspired me to get back into embroidery (remember when I was learning it around Thanksgiving?!). I grabbed a simple black bodysuit for Dakota, some purple embroidery floss, stabilizer paper (to print her name), and got to work!

Do I know what I’m doing? Nope! Did I love every second of it? YES! Now I’m working on a tank top for Sadie girl! She also asked me to teach her to sew (which is funny because I. know. nothing. but we got a needle threaded and I taught her a basic stitch and she sewed on her doll’s clothes!).

Just like with baking, it feels so wonderful to do things with my hands. Some days I can only embroider one letter (hello laundry, holding a baby, cooking, and cleaning) but I so enjoy it!

The kids have been doing some crafting. We attended a library event where they made rainbows. The event was for kids around Sadie’s age but the librarian asked if Mordecai wanted to stay and oh my word did he enjoy it!

I also crafted an apple pie. Sadie doesn’t love the finished product but will gladly eat the apple mixture or the crust dough. Make it make sense!! Also, I am still absolutely loving my pie crust bag. This thing is genius.

To start summer, we went to an event in our neighborhood: family fun night! Our local park gets set up with games, water stuff (mini pools, a sprinkler), food, and music and everyone hangs out.

Since it has been sweltering here in the ‘Burgh (highs in the 90s!), Jimmy set up our slip ‘n slide for the kids. And us, hehe.

Niva and her bestie have been hating this weather. I don’t blame them! We’ve been brushing Niva on the daily and her fur keeps coming and coming. She is blowing that coat, man.

Sadie has been doing a great job riding her bike lately!

Poor Mordecai and Sadie were sick over the weekend. What a way to kick off summer, huh? They both were coughing and had fevers. They bounced back pretty quickly but it’s always hard to see them suffer through sickness 😔

Once they were feeling better, we started a new week and hit up a local trail!

Sadie and Dakota squeezed in some silly playtime while I did laundry.

My sister-in-law and I tried hot yoga together! Yes it was 90 degrees outside and 95 degrees in the studio, lol. It was so good for me to get out of the house sans kids, though. I often feel guilty if I do things like that and leave the kids with Jimmy because he worked a full day, you know? I know it’s important to have breaks, though. In cases like this, guilt isn’t necessarily a sign I’m doing something wrong, it’s a sign I’m doing something different.

The verdict on hot yoga? It was hot! And I loved it. I felt so loose and relaxed afterwards. I loved spending time with my SIL, too! We are definitely going to go again 🙂

Other notes and thoughts:

• We’re going to a cat cafe this weekend!! It’s a coffee shop with adoptable cats. So you drink coffee and pet cats. There’s not much better than that, right?! We’re not planning to adopt any cats, just donating and enjoying their presence 🐈‍⬛
• The best sunscreen applicator for kids and adults has been making my life easier on these hot summer days ☀️
• We are looking into getting a seat or trailer for the back of our bikes to be able to tote Mordecai and Dakota while Sadie rides her bike next to us. I can’t wait for family bike rides! If you know bike stuff… send advice our way 🚲
• Currently reading this book written by a mom of ten (at the time… I think she has more kids now!) on living out her faith and it’s beautiful and inspiring 🙏🏻

Okay, it’s early morning (5:30 am!) as I finish up this post and I hear Dakota stirring. It’s time to get my day going. She and Mordecai have their four month and 2.5-year check ups at the doctor’s office today!

Have you crafted anything lately?