mommyhood moments - beach storms & a buttercup bag

mackenzie and i decided to venture down to the beach to throw some stones and collect some driftwood for our deck. while we had no luck in the driftwood department, we did get a glimpse at the cutest mom and about 6 baby ducks, floating on a very windy and wavy ocean trying to get the heck away from what appeared to be a hungry seagull. for the record, i hate seagulls. i once saw one kill a pigeon in mid-air and have been frightened of them ever since.

we managed to get in some picture time before heading under our blanket when the winds really picked up and the sky darkened. don't you just love a storm blowing in on the ocean? it's the smell, i can't get enough of that smell.

while we were there we also took some pics of my mother's day gift to myself - a new purse. i made it using "the buttercup bag" tutorial by "made by rae". i was drawn to this purse pattern firstly, for it's buttons (luv), and secondly, for the fact that it looked easy and required only a tiny bit of interfacing. i heart this bag and because i am a newbie sewer this was my very first purse and my first time doing pleats. i think it turned out great! my hubby thinks i'm nuts because i keep wearing it around the house just oohing and ahhing over it, but you guys understand right - the sheer adoration of a project you actually found the time to complete and didn't mess up? the need to shout "it's usable, it's usable and i made it" out the window?

have any of you made the "buttercup bag" yet? what project are you ooohing and ahhing over?