The Project That Caused Me Pain

Okay, so I guess it wasn't technically the project that caused me the pain, but instead my own stupidity for allowing my guiding finger to get under the needle, but still....

I'll always remember.

I had a package of simple cloth diapers left over from other baby gifts and decided that my future child needed some cloth diaper burp cloths as well.

They are incredible simple to make (fabric strips 4.5" x 20" and two strips of ribbon 20" long) and went really quickly (minus the incident of course).

It felt good to used up previously quilted strips.

And darn it if they aren't just plain cute as well.

This one had fabric that was not quite 20" long, so I used an additional piece of ribbon on the ends to cover up that raw edge.

Do you know what really hurts?

When you break the needle on your sewing machine as it sews your finger.

Ouch.






Don't you worry, I am fine. It's nothing a few band-aids and a little Windex (name that movie) won't fix.

Dancing to Peter Pan

Easton love him some Peter Pan. Specifically the "Following the Leader" and "What Makes the Red Man Red?" songs. Enjoy his dancing.

P.S. Towards the end is when you see a more accurate representation of what he does normally (when the camera is not running). Kind of a step-STEP-step-STEP movement.

Also, this second video is not for the faint of heart. Yes, it is a gigantic boogey that you see on his face.

The last quilt top of 2009

Or, at least Ronnie is hoping.

Let's back up a bit and go through just why the heck I felt like I needed to make another quilt. You see, when I was pregnant with Easton, I made his crib bedding (quilt included) as well as a simple square quilt. In my head, the crib bedding quilt is his. If I have a girl, she is already set with two quilts, the crib bedding one and a simple square quilt, however, if this baby is a boy, I only had a simple square quilt ready for him.

Seriously, so unfair.

I have had this quilt bookmarked for what seems like years, and decided it was time to make my own.

So I did.

And I love it.

All of my quilts have now been trimmed, backing fabric has been ironed and all I have to do is make sure I have enough batting for the interiors and then they (all 5 of them) are off to the machine-quilting lady.

Step Four

Yesterday I finished the valances for my Baby Girl Bedding. That means that all I have to do is get the quilt quilted and then bind it and I am done! Hooray!

I've had several questions about how I have time to get all of this done. First, I cut out the material and patterns for all of these projects at the same time. There were days and days of cutting that you didn't see, but now, all it takes is a few straight lines of sewing and wa-la, a finished project. Second, Easton sleeps for 2-3 hours a day, right after I get home for work. I am able to get housework done, start prep for dinner and usually get at least 30 minutes of crafting in. Third, I have a husband in law school. This means late nights at the school studying sometimes and after Easton is in bed, I can craft without feeling guilty about neglecting my precious "husband" time. Fourth, I have an extreme case of "anxious energy." I hate just sitting and watching TV (the majority of the time--we all have veg times) so I am usually crocheting, stamping, cutting, sewing, reading, playing with Easton, making dinner, cleaning, etc. You get the idea. I don't claim to be a superwoman, and fully expect that the "spare time" I speak of now will virtually disappear after this second little one makes his or her appearance.

23 months

Can you believe we are so close to 2 years? Me neither.

Although, when you ask Easton how old he is, he usually answers "two," so at least he is prepared.

Easton is now stringing two-three word sentences together "daddy frow ball" or "more ju peeze" and man it is nice to get a better idea of what he is thinking. I do think that his recent explosion in words will officially end my word updates for him. I just can't keep up anymore, so sorry.

He loves anything "boy" right now. Jumping, running, "frowing" balls, etc. He loves that daddy does all of that with him and constantly asks for daddy when it is just me around. Apparently, I can't "frow" the ball quite right. Ronnie and I also spend ALL DAY LONG making hoopes with our arms so he can throw ball through them. Cute, but getting a bit old. Perhaps it is time for a basketball hoop at our house.

His new favorite movie is Peter Pan, which he calls "Pam." Ronnie put it in a few weeks ago so we could get a break from Toy Story and Cars, and now we get "Pam" requests all day long. Oh, how things backfire sometimes.

He continues to say "yesh" instead of yes, and while I don't want him to sound like that all of his life, I love it right now. He also says "Ada" for "Love you!" and we have no idea why. When we say "I love you" to him, he answers right back with an "ada" and tries to make the "I love you" sign in sign language.

He also loves numbers. 2 and 4 are his current favorites and he can recognize them in stores, on boxes, etc. He can count to 7, but needs prompting to say 3, since he usually skips it to get to 4 as fast as possible. It sounds something like this "won, two, tree, fowr, ive, sick, seben" and is adorably cute, but as always, I am a bit biased. He also know how to show the first five numbers on his hand as he is counting.

You can scroll down for the pictures I just posted the other day and I'll try to get a few more uploaded soon--I know how you crave those pictures! :)

Why is it

that trail mix always has an overabundance of raisins?

If I wanted that many, I would just buy a bag of raisins.

I'm here for the M&Ms and nuts.

Step Three - check

And.....


the Baby Girl Bedding crib skirt is complete!


You know I love you, but there was no way on earth that I was going to strip Easton's crib and remake it all with girl stuff, just to undo it all again, so instead, you get crib skirt on my love seat.

What's left? A valance, and then the quilting/binding of the quilt. Almost there!

Just a few pictures

Easton's nursery leader took these pictures, and I thought I should share. After all, what is this blog if not picture updates?

Craft It Forward Part Two

WAAAAAAY back in February, I did a little giveaway of sorts on the blog, Craft It Forward.

This week I finally got the projects completed and sent on their way.

Hooded bath towels for the children/future children of the three women who signed up.

I love crossing things off my list.

And then I keep some promises from forever ago...

The other day I was searching for something on my blog and realized that many times I had promised you to post pictures, or let you know when something happened and then I didn't.

All of that is changing today. With no further ado, I give you my previously unfulfilled promises.

Lake Powell Pictures (promised 6/15/2007)

Daddy-o and the houseboat.

A sideways picture of Jord-man and his sand castle.

Ronnie and Adam enjoying a ride on the tube "Big Bertha." (That's really the tube's official name).

You know I love you when I post pictures like this. The only picture taken of me the entire trip.

Baby Shower Pictures (promised 10/22/2007)

Me, Grammy, Cousin Jill, Mom, Sassy and Erc.

Alene, Val, Me, Mom, Jill, Jenn, Ashley, McKenzie and McKell.

Me, Mom and the fabulous Grammy.

Nail biting update (promised 11/15/2007)
I did not so much keep up this breaking of habit. After Easton was born and my nails returned to their previous, weak, state I succumbed to the biting again. I've found it is definitely a nervous habit and in my case, more of a bored habit. Nothing to do? Check out which nail you can chew on. Thanks to this pregnancy I have now gone one week without biting. So count this as attempt #2,749.

Forgetting about Labor? (promised 12/21/2007)
You don't so much forget, but more become okay with going through it all again. Plus, in my case, you make yourself a promise that you will really REALLY push this time, so that baby can come out more quickly than 2.5 hours later (although, in my defense, it was not so much the level of my pushing that was the issue with Easton).

Deodorant (promised 1/6/2008)
I have now been using deodorant exclusively for almost two years. I love it. My white shirts don't have yellow stains on them anymore, I sweat less and everyone is happier. I will tell you that it takes time for your body to adjust to no anti-perspirant. For about 3 weeks I was more sweaty than normal, and then my body calmed down and we all lived happily ever after.

Picture of my mom in my glasses (promised 1/20/2009)

Remember my new glasses? Here's a pic to refresh your memory.

Well, my mom looks really good in them, see?

In fact, she looked so smokin' that she allowed us to convince her to get a similar pair of her own and now she is even more foxy.

The dreaded scrapbook in its entirety (promised 5/29/2009)
You can view all 130 pages here.

Changes in my Job (promised 6/5/2009)
My job has not changed dramatically. I still work with donors and alumni of the college, plan events for the big wigs and help with other general events. I now report to the dean, and don't so much have a day to day boss that I check with all of the time. This works out great, as I can get direction when I need it and otherwise just continue to do what I have always done. I do have to write a lot more of the articles, etc. for the college and that is not so much a favorite change, but I deal.

Adam's Happy Homecoming Pictures (promised 8/5/2009)

See? He did make it home.

And Erc and Alayna rejoiced (as did the rest of the fam).

Halloween Pillow Pattern (promised 10/21/2009)
I've scoured the internet and can't find a source but for your reference the pattern is called "Halloween Pillow" and is made by Images in Fabric. The pillow measures 14" x24".

Step two--complete

So, we all remember the Ruffle Strip Quilt.
It's still not done, but step two of Baby Girl Bedding (if I ever even need it) is.

Here are the crib bumpers. I just love how easy these suckers come together. The only catch is that each one requires a bit of hand sewing, and I have yet to find anything I hate more than hand sewing.

Next up? The crib skirt.

24 Weeks

While I realize that I technically turned 24 weeks yesterday, this picture was taken this morning. You take what you can get around here.

I'm still feeling great. I feel kind of lame saying the same thing with every update but it IS true, just not very exciting. I have hit the point where turning sideways to try and fit through a tight spot doesn't do much for me, as I found out this week. Baby is moving all of the time now, and those movements are even becoming visible from the outside (but only if you are intently staring at my belly, which I don't think anyone but me does).

I have been informed twice that I am carrying low, which apparently means a boy. But then I always wonder--I did carry low with Easton, and he was a boy, but maybe that is just the way my body carries babies? Only time will tell.

Easton continues to have no idea what is going on (and I am confident that oblivious-ness will continue until we place a tiny baby in his arms). We pray for the baby in mommy's belly every night, and he continues to call my belly button "baby", but he also calls his own belly button "baby" so that isn't really getting us anywhere.

My energy is still around, although starting to dwindle a bit. I seem to notice the energy stuff with this pregnancy much more than I did with Easton (I'm sure chasing a toddler around has a lot to do with that). And yes, I still crave Taco Bell. I do want to clarify that anytime Ronnie asks me what I want for dinner I say Taco Bell, but I only get Taco Bell 1-2 times a week so while it is a craving, I am not a crazy pregnant lady who MUST HAVE THE FOOD NOW!

Just so you know.

Halloween

Here's lots of Halloween pics of Easton for those who just can't get enough. We did trick or treating at the law school (since it was cold outside) yesterday. Easton never did say "trick or treat" but was pretty good at saying thank you after he got the candy. Suckers are his favorite, followed closely by M&Ms and Rice Krispie treats.

Try as I might, I couldn't get him to wear the red bandana or the cowboy boots, oh well--what more can you expect from an almost 23-month old?

Happy Halloween!

Love, Woody

ETA for my own reference: Shirt--purchased long sleeve shirt and drew on buttons and red lines. Vest--purchased online, then taken in, fringe cut off and pull string added (shower curtain ring). Hat and holster purchased from Disney. Not worn--boots (even after 2 months of trying) and red bandana.

Family pictures!

I promised you a look at our family pictures. Here they are in all their glory! Our wonderful friend Carolyn agreed to take them the day after I asked her, and did it all while 38 weeks pregnant. She is superwoman!

I won't give you too much commentary, except to say that no one should live in Wyoming without getting some "in the wild grass" photos. It seems like an unwritten rule--no?

Surprisingly, after Easton was FREEZING, he really started to warm up to the idea of pictures. This little rock was his new best friend.

Classic Easton smile.

And then he found out that he could "jump" on this chair (which in Easton-ese means bends your knees and say "jump" while your feet never leave the ground) and all was good.

And if you don't want to marry this last picture, you just aren't human. That is all there is to it.

Reasons why today is a good day

Despite the fact that there is approximately 7 inches of snow on the ground with no sign of a break in the storm in sight, today is a good day because....

1. I got a close parking spot and therefore did not have to walk more than 100 feet through the awful storm (let it be known this only happens about once every 3 weeks).

2. Very hot hot chocolate was available to me the minute I stepped into my office.

3. I got to sleep in an extra 15 minutes (take what you can get people) and still made it to work on time.

And then I use bullet points

• While I like to believe that Easton is a good little boy when at other people's houses and shares without any issues, I found that sharing his own toys is a whole 'nother ballgame. We had the pleasure of watching one of Easton's favorite little friends on Saturday and let's just say that we all learned a lot about sharing.
• Man, that BYU game was just pitiful. IF I was able to wear my blue and white in the town I live in, it may have made me put it away for a while.
• We had some family pictures taken (I'll share soon, I promise) and it's safe to say that my concern about how quickly that pregnancy weight shows up on my face is justified.
• Is it rude to ask people what laundry soap/fabric softener they use? Sometimes the smell is lovely and different.
• It looks like Ronnie is not going to get a monster elk this season. With school/kidney stones his hunting time was significantly decreased. At least those cow elk are yummy to eat!
• I'm still feeling great. Not even any feet swelling yet (a miracle, and let's knock on wood). The pregnancy is flying by and I continue to love Taco Bell (new black jack taco? delish), anything with mayo, and chocolate pudding. Don't worry, I eat normal food too.

As if you didn't know too much about us already...

Ronnie is done with the kidney stones.

(I decided that sentence was the least disgusting of any I contemplated. You can thank me later).

Happy Halloween to me

If any of you read my sister's blog, you already know that she created two of these bad boys (one for her, one for my mom).

They were kind enough to let me have the left over fabric and so I went to work. It was one of those projects that I kept on putting off (I even considered letting it wait 'til next Halloween) because I thought it would be time consuming, but then it came together incredibly fast! Gotta love that!

The pattern and fabric was purchased at a local fabric shop. If anyone wants specific information I'll get it for you, but I don't have it with me currently.

*Ronnie update: he still has not passed that blasted stone. He hasn't had any huge pain attacks for the past 24 hours or so and so we continue to wait.

Oh, how things change

So, I was going to post about how after hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours...

...and hours of work

Ronnie's team won the trial competition they were in last week.

But then, Ronnie woke up with extreme lower back pain, we went into the E.R. and lo and behold, he has a kidney stone.

So, my day has consisted of hospital trips and waiting.

Not quite what either of us had planned.

Ronnie seems to be doing pretty okay. I'll update you all when things change--but for now, we continue to wait. At least Ronnie has a reference point for when I am in labor, right?

Ruffle Strip Quilt Info

So, several of you have requested a little more information about the quilt.

Here it goes.

Each base strip was cut 3.5" wide and the width of the fabric (44" standard). They were then sewn together with a .25" seam. I ended up trimming down the total width of my fabric, so it measures at 45"x38" currently.

The ruffles are two 2.5" strips sewn together so that in total they are each 88" long when flat. Each long edge was hemmed (with a #69 Bernina rolled hem foot) and then I used my longest stitch length down the center of the strip and pulled to ruffle them.

Ruffles are then pinned and sewn on.

I can give more information if anyone is really going to attempt this sucker. Just know that while the base strips come together really quickly, the ruffles take about 30+ minutes per ruffle.

As far as cost, just in fabric (which I do have expensive taste in, unfortunately), this quilt cost me $70 (please say Ronnie is not reading this) add in the batting and the cost of taking it to get quilted and I'm looking at probably $100. If anyone would like me to make them one, it would be about $175 total (to pay me for time). I know that is more than most people want to spend on a little something for their little someone.

You know, that stuff I do in my spare time

So, my sewing machine has been kept busy this past little while. Some of you may remember that I bought a quilt kit online when I was pregnant with Easton since I was just barely getting started on this quilting stuff and was a bit nervous. You can see the post with the finished project here.

Now, I'm a bit braver and knew that I had lots of scraps to use up and the simple quilt top was perfect.

First I did a girl, flowery one.
And then I decided that a boy one needed to be made.

And finally I used some more vintage-y fabric for this one--that I love!

And, I finally decided on a pattern for the quilt that will coordinate with the crib bedding I am making. I saw this done once in a quilt shop about 4 years ago, but couldn't find a pattern I was satisfied with, so I just made one up. I know I'm a little biased, but I love it. It turned out exactly how I imagined it. I call it my Ruffle Strip Quilt.

See? You love it too. I know you do.

But now for the part where I need some help. I can't decide how I want to finish this puppy. Should I do a border* around it and then the binding**? Just a binding so the ruffles really shine?

Please help!

A little vocab help for those of you (like me 2 years ago) who had no idea what any of those fancy words mean.
*The three simple quilts above all have a border. It is the "frame" of the quilt so to speak.

**Binding is that really thin finished edge that you can see on the two quilts in this post.

Guess What?

We had the big ultrasound today.

And....





we're having a boy or a girl.

That's right, I held out through the entire thing.

Bring on the next 19 weeks.

22 months

{warning: this post will not have any pictures--I apologize}

On Saturday, Easton turned 22 months old. He is turning into more and more of a little boy everyday and is even starting to string two or three words together! While I love being able to understand him better (and the tantrums have decreased a bit) there is always that part of me that just wants him to stay little, darn it.

Let's start with some words that he has mastered: durtee (dirty), pull, dog-dog (doggie), box, rock, buuuhrp (burp), Tuh-ner (Turner, from Handy Manny), pill-doe (pillow), Doc (from Cars), boy, geeeerl (girl), loon (balloon), jump, Pat (from Handy Manny), pun-tin (pumpkin), kitty, rog (frog), coe (cold), haaa (hot), and no? (snow, always said as a question).

As always, I'm sure that I have missed some. I may have to stop these word lists all together, since he will try to say pretty much anything you say to him (and this is when I realize my swearing habit has to end. Kidding, just kidding).

Easton loves nursery, but I think all of the leaders really wish our church was at a different time. It's hard to entertain kids from 1-3, when they normally go down for naps at 12:30.

With the few snow storms lately, Easton seems to have gotten over his initial fear of the white stuff. He will step in it now, but I don't think he's ready for a dive into it or anything like that.

He also loves the clay-mation movie "Rudolph" and will watch that more than anything else right now (so strange, I know). My mom has a book called "Big Pumpkin" that came with a sing/read-a-long tape from Scholastic many years ago that he listens to daily about 10 times in a row. If any of you want to hear the book in its entirety, you can call my mom, or Sarah. They have it memorized.

In general, Easton is such a happy boy. We seem to have solved the sleep problem. Naps are going splendidly, but at night-time there is an occasional 2 minute cry session, and then he goes right to sleep. Thank goodness, driving him to sleep wasn't going to be an option when it is below freezing outside.

I promise more pictures soon.

Sometimes, I just love people

My drivers license was set to expire this year.

I knew that if I waited until closer to the expiration date, I would have a pregnancy-fat face staring back at me for the next 5 years, and I couldn't accept that, so off to the DMV I went.

It was slow (thank goodness) and I was helped right away. As the lady verified my identifying information, I realized that because the last thing I had done was a name change, my weight had not been updated in close to 8 years.

And, I hate to admit it, but I weigh more now than I did 8 years ago.

So, I corrected her with my current weight.

She looked at me and said, "But honey, you don't have to put down baby weight."

I could have kissed her.

Bless her for thinking that my high school weight was accurate.

She completely made my day.

It just took a while

Let's go way, way back to 2007 when my doctor's office forced me to get a flu shot, but then before they actually gave me the shot we realized that I was allergic to the preservative. Story told here.

Last year, I got a live-virus nose spray and was good to go.

This year, with my pregnancy, the live-virus is not safe and I was sure that I would be unable to get a flu shot (even though all of the stats of what can happen with pregnant women scare me to death).

But then...

My doctor's office actually had shots without thimerisol in them and I got my shot last night.

Hallelujah.

And now my arm is really, really sore and I feel like whining all of the time. (Hence I am sharing this very lame story with all of you).

I guess now I understand why Easton is so grumpy after his shots.

Make-up

It happened.

Easton found the make-up. I should clarify and admit that I was completely aware that he was in my make-up bag, since I was standing right next to him doing my hair. He usually just plays with my brushes and paints the wall (very good for them, I know), but today he tried to use a little eye liner.

He knew where it went, but got his vertical and horizontal lines confused.

Silly boy.

Ronnie is really hoping this is a one time occurrence.

20 weeks

Halfway done!

I'm feeling great. Energy is back (plus some it seems) and I am still able to sleep. Easton still thinks that my belly button is called "baby" and doesn't get it at all. I still want Taco Bell all the time (bean and cheese burrito and a crunchy taco) but other than that I eat and crave way less than I did with Easton. In fact, I haven't gained a single pound so far (which is safe for my pre-pregnancy weight, in case you were concerned).

Baby is moving all of the time (though not consistently) and I'm starting to realize that I really am pregnant.

Because I am a giver*

I'm assuming that a lot of you readers out there are kind of in my boat.

Busy.

Must make food for family.

And if you are in my exact boat (which is an awesome boat by the way) you cook because the family has to eat, not because you love it.

But if you love it, more power to you.

So, I'm going to share my tried and true, quick and easy, delicious recipes with you.

Just click on this little link and you will be taken to a document you can print.

If you have a few to add, please leave them in the comments. I'm ALWAYS looking for new recipes.

*The giver reference is for my mom. She claimed the other day that I was not a giver (in the ingredients I put into my pasta salad--I make it the way I like it and make Ronnie pick out a few things) and I'm trying to prove that I am, in fact, a giver.