WARNING: WHINY PREGNANT RANT AHEAD!
It's been a really long day so far - and it's not even 4:00 yet. I have determined that shopping is the prefect way to ruin a gorgeous day for me.
It all started innocently enough. I woke up this morning to no screaming, and no one telling me I needed to get up for whatever reason. Sweet! Adron was (is) brewing beer today, so I got dressed then sat down to check emails/Facebook. Had a few graham crackers for breakfast, then printed off the mail-in form for my prescription meds. I had Madeline put Noah down for a nap, and I grabbed both of my sewing machines and left the house.
It was absolutely glorious outside! Sun out, 60 degrees, and a very light wind, not even enough to make it chilly in my jeans and tee shirt. I drove over to my favorite sewing machine repair shop - and they weren't there. Not the employees, the whole store! Gone! Ack! So, I drove about half a mile or so down the street to the other sewing machine place. It's more expensive, and in the past, they weren't terribly friendly, something I've come to expect living in the southern US. Sighhhh... Well, I went in, and was immediately greeted by a cute guy back in the repair area, then by an older gentleman who was walking from the back to help me. He came outside to carry my machines in for me, an incredibly generous touch that none of the other repair shops in the Memphis area have ever done. We discussed the possible problems with my machines, and the quote to work on the cheapie machine was nearly as much as I paid for the darn thing to start with. So I laughed and told him not to bother with that one. My good machine, however, was quoted as a $90-150 repair, if it was just something small. Great. Last time my machine was tuned up, I paid about $75, plus a bit more to cover the repair of a couple other things I had managed to throw out of whack. Ah well, it is what it is, I suppose, and they were phenomenally nice to me, so I said okay and left in a great mood.
Next stop was the mall. My wonderful ILs gave me cash for Christmas, and I've been trying to decide what to spend it on. Adron fussed about the cost of the machine repair, and I tearfully said I'd use my Christmas money on it. He said that was silly, and not to worry about it. I told him I needed to go to the mall to look for some maternity clothes. Poor Adron - his company has severly messed with payroll, and in the process of changing from paying him every other week to paying twice a month (on the 6th and 21st, no less :o/ ), his last check this month was about half its normal amount, compromising our ability to buy anything not strictly in the budget and still being able to pay the house note. I told him again that I would spend my Christmas money on the clothes, as I totally understand the timing of this isn't good. By this point I was in tears because I was really, really hoping to buy something fun for myself, not something strictly utilitarian. Anyway, I went in with high hopes of being able to find a few maternity clothes for myself. Yeah, right.
Ok, so when I had Audrey, almost 14 years ago, there was no such thing as maternity clothes that were cute, stylish, and for tall girls. Plus size wasn't really that much of a problem at that point, which was a good thing, as that wouldn't have even been an option. With Madeline, 3 years later, similar problem, PLUS the additional complaint of no plus clothes. 6 years later, with Max, there were a few plus sized clothes, but not many, and nearly ALL the jeans barely skimmed my ankles. I did manage to find some that fit well, and I bought 3 pairs. I've worn those 3 pairs of jeans with Max, Ellie, Noah, and now Jonah. By the time I had Ellie, I'd bought about as many maternity clothes as I would need. Since she was a summer baby, I didn't need a whole lot of winter clothes, so I just bought a couple of tees, 2-3 pairs of capris, and the one pair of shorts I had found that fit me. Noah wasn't a problem - I made a few maternity tops that were short sleeved and sleeveless. I also bought a couple more pairs of jeans shorts. The weather here isn't even THINKING about getting cold in October, so Noah was basically another summer baby. Sweet! Well, Jonah is due in April - with our only hope of real cold weather starting in mid January, and running through the end of March. April is usually chilly by my standards - most days are in the 50's and cloudy, so not exactly shorts weather for me. By the way, I'm normally "hot natured", happily wearing shorts year around, but being pregnant really messes me up and I'm cold almost all of the time. I'm fine with short sleeved tops - I only wear long sleeves when it's in the 30's or so. A tee shirt and light jacket or hoodie is perfect, IMO, for most of the "winter" here. Leaving me with a need for jeans. These poor jeans I bought 4 kids ago have just about had it! I've repaired holes in the knit maternity panels, and had to restitch the waistbands countless times lol! They were obviously made very well, and I'm truly grateful for that! However, I really do need another couple of pairs of jeans, both to update the slightly dated jeans I'm wearing now, as well as to replace them when they finally wear out. Then there is the shirt issue. I don't really like sewing with knis as they always wind up stretched out and wonky (yes, I've tried all the tricks - ballpoint needles, walking foot, stabilizer, etc), and I have never found maternity patterns that actually fit me. I do have quite a few maternity tees, but they aren't long enough to cover the maternity panel on my jeans. I won't wear them out of the house like that, since I percieve it to be sloppy, even for my laid back tastes. I have 2 tees, 2 long sleeved tops, and one nicer black top that are all barely long enough, plus a couple of non maternity tees that are long enough, but nearly too small around lol!
My *favorite* maternity tee is a pale pink, and has been worn so much (bought when pg with Ellie) that it is stained, has a few tiny holes beginning, and is discolored from all the washings. I've determined that I'm going to have to cut it apart to create a pattern for more tees that fit right. I am going to lengthen the pattern by about 1 1/2" to give me a little better coverage, too. I've found that my torso is about 3" longer than the average that pattern designers use. That would certainly explain why I've never been happy with clothes I sewed for myself, huh? I've known this for a few years now, but hated sewing mama clothes so much that I've not taken the time to make the simple modifications so the patterns would fit. Well, I'm desperate now! I have Ottobre's women's magazines, some of which do have maternity patterns in them. However, those patterns stop about 2-3 sizes too small for me. I guess that fat is so repulsive to Europeans that they don't assume that us fat Americans might have a need for plus sized maternity clothes? Ah well, I'm not patient enough, or at all inspired to create anything right now, so there's no way I am redrafting those patterns to fit. Now that I've got a plan for the tee shirt pattern, I think I'll be fine lol!
I ordered two patterns from Blessed Designs - I highly recommend her! I haven't managed to sew them up yet, but they look great, and her shipping was so fast! I bought the Florinda skirt pattern to make up some clothes for church, and I bought her lingerie pattern so I can make my own nursing bras. I have exclusively worn "sleep bras" to nurse the last 2, and they were all made with the same surplice styling she has used in her pattern. Adding to that, she gives pattern pieces to modify the bra into a camisole or a nightgown/slip, and additional instructions for a tummy cover :o) Let me tell you - I'm *all about* not showing my belly when I have a hungry baby LOL! And I am totally looking forward to making comfy pajamas that will hold my nursing pads in place, and be able to be worn afterwards. I don't do those typical nursing pajamas or nightgowns, I usually just sleep in a nursing bra and panties. After disecting my shirt, I think I'm going to so the same to my favorite pair of lounge pants - as all of those are about 6" too short, and it would be great to have some that fit right lol! I think my fave pair is worn out enough that I can justify the sacrifice right now. I'd better cut fast before I rethink it LOLOLOL!
Anyway, back to my day. I left the mall in tears after going to Motherhood maternity, JC Penney, and Sears. JC Penney and Sears were a total bust, and Motherhood only had a few things. However, they do have a v-neck version (in a slightly brighter pink) of my favorite pink tee, which I may have to buy, depending on how my pattern turns out. I tried on some dressier pants outfits that looked horrible, as well as a couple of pairs of jeans. I love them! They fit great, maybe even a little loose, meaning I get to try on the 1X's next time I go in. However, the problem I'm having with them is that they are almost $40/pair, and Adron is insisting that this is our last kid. The thought of not having more is depressing me pretty badly, and I am struggling to justify spending more than $80 for 2 pairs of jeans that I will wear for 3 months and then that's it. Yes, I can pass them on to friends, but my best friend is about 5'2" and I'm 5'9", so our ideas of "perfect jeans" don't quite mesh LOL! IF it's long enough for me, it's going to be way too long for her. Yes, I guess it just comes down to me being cheap and feeling like buying something that is only useful for the next 3 1/2 months of my life is a waste. Maybe it's that I feel like I'm not worth it? I dunno....
Ok, so I went by Starbucks and spent Fourbucks (actually almost 5) on a venti caramel frappucino. Yummy! I totally needed something horrible for me to make me feel a little better lol! Therefore, I ordered it regular instead of light, like I would normally do on the rare occasions I am willing to spend that kind of money on a coffee drink. Headed to the grocery store after that, nothing momentus happened there, unless, of course, you feel like I do about the way groceries get bagged. I only had a few things, but the girl bagged ALL the frozen stuff TOGETHER! And then put my meat in its VERY OWN BAG! And, to top it off, she put the bread on top of the rest of the stuff =D I was nearly giddy about that! I am so sick of having my ready to eat foods put in a bag with raw meats (strawberries with a touch of salmonella, anyone?), and having bread thrown in with canned goods, or frozen and refrigerated foods just mixed together in bags with shelf stable foods. It is a huge pet peeve of mine, btw ;o)
Drove home, walked in the house, turned the oven on to warm up, then sat at the computer. Wrenching my back and straining my abs in the process. My dadgum yoga ball was waayyyy underinflated, and when I sat down, I dropped much lower than I expected. Whatever. After the oven was hot, I put pizzas in, and walked back into the living room. And promptly stepped on a needle - that went right through the sole of my tennis shoes and into the bottom of my foot! I started crying, took the shoe off, and had to get Adron to pull out the needle with pliers. I sat back down on my pitifully small ball, and realized that it must have a hole in it. I'm assuming from the same needle that poked a hole through my shoe. Now, not only do I not have a comfy chair to sit in and relax, I don't even have a chair for the computer. I am currently sitting on the floor with my keyboard on top of one of Noah's toys to make it semi-comfortable to type... Ughhhhhhhh.
Add to that, all the kids are being difficult. Madeline is refusing to do anything we've asked - mainly cleaning her room. Ellie thinks that she's too good to help Madeline, and Noah is just getting into stuff, and dragging toys all over the living room. I normally love having the Christmas tree up and don't take it down until the Epiphany (Jan 6th), but this year I'm struggling to leave it up until New Years. Adron cleaned out the garage yesterday, and had me go thrugh about8 large totes of toys. I filled up 2 lawn and leaf bags, plus a few other things that were contained well enough that we didn't bag them, and Adron took it all to Goodwill last night. We still have way too many toys, but now it's so much better. One tote with blocks and legos to rotate with the cardboard blocks we have in here now. One tote with "Little People" stuff, divided up and contained in 3 gallon ziploc bags so that we can fairly easily rotate those without bringing ALL of them out at once. Plus the tote that isn't full-full of toys I couldn't get rid of (yet). We are left with a laundry basket full of toys they play with, plus a tote holding the cardboard blocks. Oh, and Ellie's play kitchen, and Noah's play work bench. Much better!!!
I guess I've got to quit whining and help Noah - he keeps coming over saying "Help me", and "'Pider Man wikes batteries", which is just pitiful lol! I sure hope we have some batteries to make Spiderman happy LMBO!!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Grown Up Mac & Cheese
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was waaaaaaay yummy! A couple of my friends on Facebook wanted the recipe, so I figured I'd make a card to share ;o) I used the kit I made for the Faith Sisters Birthday Bash, plus a ribbon from Ashalee Wall. Enjoy - it's really quick and easy, and we had it as a main dish, but would be a great side dish, too. And for the non meat eaters, just leave out the bacon, duh lol!
Click here to download
Click here to download
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Belated Merry Christmas
Our Christmas was wonderful! It was crazy busy, hectic as anything, but the kids had a fabulous time, and we all got to enjoy time with family and friends.
I was hoping to make a pettiskirt for Ellie's Christmas present, but my machine and ruffler decided not to cooperate, so I now have miles of chiffon cut into strips, just waiting on me to find a way to ruffle it lol! Unfortunately, that left us shopping last second. Which, actually, wasn't so bad. I knew Ellie had been wanting a Disney Princess Talking Kitchen, and we found them in huge supply, on sale, and with an offer for an additional free Disney Princess Makeup Kit with the purchase =D Talk about a great deal! All the rest of the the kiddos' gifts were already bought, and I was just waiting on gifts for the grandparents to be delivered.
We did a ton of baking - I made a triple batch of cheese straws, which wasn't a bad idea in itself, but the idea to use a cookie press handed down from my great uncle probably wasn't a great choice. Man, those things are hard to use! Not *too* bad for making actual cookies, but for extruding long strips of cheese straw dough, it was HARD!!! Ouch - Audrey and I had blisters from it! Thankfully, Adron bailed us out for the last 2 sheets lol! Then, I made a batch of Millionaire cookies from a recipe I'd never used before. I wasn't thinking about the amounts used in the original recipe, and opted to double it. Yeah, that was silly! I think the original recipe was about a quadruple batch to start with!!! EEEEKKKKKK! We made 16 dozen cookies - and, man, were they good! Then, we were going to make gingerbread houses. However, I couldn't find my icing bag. I went to Hobby Lobby the morning of the 23rd, and got everything I needed, with the minor exception of boxes to wrap gifts. No problem. Came home and heated up some leftovers, and when I pulled out a plate to put them on, it dropped. I, brilliantly, tried to catch it, but it shattered when it hit the counter. That never happens! It would have been fine, except for the piece that hit my hand and left a cut that was about 1/2" long, and to the bone. Right on top of the bottom knuckle of my pinkie finger. No chance of that cut staying together and healing right. So, we were off to the Urgent Care center for a little dermabond. No biggie, but quite painful! I tried making graham cracker houses, but the graham crackers I had picked up were squares, not the double sheets I needed. Arggh! I gave up on those, and I think I might try to make them with the kids in the next few days.
Despite slicing my hand open, Tuesday was a fabulous day! My oldest sister came up to visit with her two gorgeous little ones, and my baby sister took me with her to see the Transiberian Orchestra! It was a fabulous show, and our seats were amazing! I had a great time, and think that we're going to try to go again next year lol! We wrapped presents after I got home, and went to bed a little late...
Wendesday was a bit hectic - spent most of the day at Mimi and PopPops doing the family Christmas thing, then we went home so I could get a nap before church. That was wonderful! After church, we came home, put the kiddos to bed, and got to kick back and relax! We're always up really late on Christmas Eve, putting together any gifts that need assembly and wrapping presents. Since that had all been done the night before, we got to just hang out and enjoy the evening :o)
We got up Christmas morning, and Deb came over to open presents with us and eat breakfast. After we ate, Deb and I fell asleep while Adron and the kids played Mario Cart lol! Then we headed out to Adron's parents' house. That was fun, too, and they spoiled all of us so much! After that was dinner at his aunt's house, then back home. I was so worn out that I slept the whole way home! Audrey loaned me her Twilight books, and I managed to read the 1st one before bedtime on Christmas day.
Yesterday, I read New Moon, and all but the last 100 pages of Eclipse. Audrey took Breaking Dawn with her, so I have to wait till she gets home to read it lol! I am really tempted to read the 1st 3 books again, too. I *never* re-read books, but these are just so good! I can't believe I sat there and cried most of the way through New Moon!!! Ah well, it was good, and I didn't have any mascara on, and no one but Adron and the kids to see me crying lol!
Today has been extraordinarily lazy, and nice lol! I've not done a thing, and Adron is even cooking dinner again! I'm sure tomorrow will be busier, as, at the very least, I have church in the morning.
I'll be back to post Christmas pictures once I have a chance to do a little editing (red eye removal, mostly...) and resizing for the web.... Might be next week before I make it that far, but I've got some uploaded to my Flickr and Facebook right now. Feel free to friend request me on Facebook - I update that much more frequently than I ever blog!
I was hoping to make a pettiskirt for Ellie's Christmas present, but my machine and ruffler decided not to cooperate, so I now have miles of chiffon cut into strips, just waiting on me to find a way to ruffle it lol! Unfortunately, that left us shopping last second. Which, actually, wasn't so bad. I knew Ellie had been wanting a Disney Princess Talking Kitchen, and we found them in huge supply, on sale, and with an offer for an additional free Disney Princess Makeup Kit with the purchase =D Talk about a great deal! All the rest of the the kiddos' gifts were already bought, and I was just waiting on gifts for the grandparents to be delivered.
We did a ton of baking - I made a triple batch of cheese straws, which wasn't a bad idea in itself, but the idea to use a cookie press handed down from my great uncle probably wasn't a great choice. Man, those things are hard to use! Not *too* bad for making actual cookies, but for extruding long strips of cheese straw dough, it was HARD!!! Ouch - Audrey and I had blisters from it! Thankfully, Adron bailed us out for the last 2 sheets lol! Then, I made a batch of Millionaire cookies from a recipe I'd never used before. I wasn't thinking about the amounts used in the original recipe, and opted to double it. Yeah, that was silly! I think the original recipe was about a quadruple batch to start with!!! EEEEKKKKKK! We made 16 dozen cookies - and, man, were they good! Then, we were going to make gingerbread houses. However, I couldn't find my icing bag. I went to Hobby Lobby the morning of the 23rd, and got everything I needed, with the minor exception of boxes to wrap gifts. No problem. Came home and heated up some leftovers, and when I pulled out a plate to put them on, it dropped. I, brilliantly, tried to catch it, but it shattered when it hit the counter. That never happens! It would have been fine, except for the piece that hit my hand and left a cut that was about 1/2" long, and to the bone. Right on top of the bottom knuckle of my pinkie finger. No chance of that cut staying together and healing right. So, we were off to the Urgent Care center for a little dermabond. No biggie, but quite painful! I tried making graham cracker houses, but the graham crackers I had picked up were squares, not the double sheets I needed. Arggh! I gave up on those, and I think I might try to make them with the kids in the next few days.
Despite slicing my hand open, Tuesday was a fabulous day! My oldest sister came up to visit with her two gorgeous little ones, and my baby sister took me with her to see the Transiberian Orchestra! It was a fabulous show, and our seats were amazing! I had a great time, and think that we're going to try to go again next year lol! We wrapped presents after I got home, and went to bed a little late...
Wendesday was a bit hectic - spent most of the day at Mimi and PopPops doing the family Christmas thing, then we went home so I could get a nap before church. That was wonderful! After church, we came home, put the kiddos to bed, and got to kick back and relax! We're always up really late on Christmas Eve, putting together any gifts that need assembly and wrapping presents. Since that had all been done the night before, we got to just hang out and enjoy the evening :o)
We got up Christmas morning, and Deb came over to open presents with us and eat breakfast. After we ate, Deb and I fell asleep while Adron and the kids played Mario Cart lol! Then we headed out to Adron's parents' house. That was fun, too, and they spoiled all of us so much! After that was dinner at his aunt's house, then back home. I was so worn out that I slept the whole way home! Audrey loaned me her Twilight books, and I managed to read the 1st one before bedtime on Christmas day.
Yesterday, I read New Moon, and all but the last 100 pages of Eclipse. Audrey took Breaking Dawn with her, so I have to wait till she gets home to read it lol! I am really tempted to read the 1st 3 books again, too. I *never* re-read books, but these are just so good! I can't believe I sat there and cried most of the way through New Moon!!! Ah well, it was good, and I didn't have any mascara on, and no one but Adron and the kids to see me crying lol!
Today has been extraordinarily lazy, and nice lol! I've not done a thing, and Adron is even cooking dinner again! I'm sure tomorrow will be busier, as, at the very least, I have church in the morning.
I'll be back to post Christmas pictures once I have a chance to do a little editing (red eye removal, mostly...) and resizing for the web.... Might be next week before I make it that far, but I've got some uploaded to my Flickr and Facebook right now. Feel free to friend request me on Facebook - I update that much more frequently than I ever blog!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Kids!
It seems that Ellie has learned a new trick... She has discovered that when someone compliments her on her dress and she simply says, "Thank you", the conversation is over. However, if she says, "Thank you! My mommy made it!" she gets a whole lot more oohing and ahhing out of them lol! At first I was a little flattered that she was bragging on me, but I knew something had to be up. That's just not like her ;o) Then it hit me - after she tells them that I made it, they have all kinds of comments and she can engage them in an all out conversation. What a little ham!
Friday, December 12, 2008
A few photos
I woke up yesterday morning to the kids fighting and tattling - and realized that I actually have a "large" family LOL! Not "large" as in having a wonderfully enormous amount of kids, but "large" as in having more than a couple of kids making annoying sounds all at once lol! Noah was screaming "Madeline bein' WUDE", Ellie was yelling about Madeline not making the cookie oatmeal that she wanted, Madeline was griping about Noah not sitting in his seat, and Audrey was screaming about missing the bus because her clothes were still wet and that she didn't have time for something. Sure, I had a headache within 5 minutes of waking up, but somehow it was a really nice sound lol! I LOVE having kids, well, at least *most* of the time, and I always wanted a bunch. I haven't ever felt like I had anything more than a rather small family until I realized that I had 4 that were big enough to fight - and tattle! LOL! Granted, I certainly don't see 4 as a particularly big family, but it's far larger than just having 2 that are fighting...! I would so love to have 8, 10, or even more, but I have a feeling that isn't in The Plan. After all, this will be my 5th c-section, and I don't know how safe it will be to have another baby after this. My OB told me after Noah that I looked fine, but I know good and well that it is just a matter of time before the tissue around the incision site becomes too thin for me to safely carry another baby. On top of that, Adron says he doesn't want any more, and has been saying this since we were pg with Max. Thankfully, he hasn't gone through with his threats of surgical sterilization, but I'm just not sure that he isn't serious about it this time. I pray that God will soften his heart, and that this won't be a decision that we have to make - rather, one that He will make for us. I do feel blessed that I have been given all of these precious children, and I am trying very hard not to take any of them for granted.
Ok, 'nuff rambling - now for some pics! First up, I've got pics of some of the 130+ bows I made for cheer competiton.
Marabou clippies for the Level 1 girls:
Cheetah inspired bows for Level 2:
Huge bows with names embroidered for Level 3:
And last, but not least, the spooky zombie cheerleader pigtails for Level 4:
And, my favorite, here are some of the Christmas outfits I made for the littles. I am LOVING the Feliz pattern! Now that I've made it once, I am sure it will go together much more quickly.
After finishing about 12 yards of ruffles for the dress, Ellie came in and informed me that she didn't want "too many" ruffles on the dress. Sighhhhhhhh.... So, I did what any good mama would do, and I reassured her that there weren't too many at all! Just one around the bottom, one on each arm, and five up the back ;o) Her response? "Oh, that sounds PERFECT!" ROFLOL! Yeah, not too many at all! I guess she just wanted some input?
I'm really loving this jonjon for Noah (is it still a jonjon if it's long pants?), as the plaid gives it a totally 70's vibe! He's so cute in it, and just loves the Santa on it. I got that Santa applique file from www.designsbyjuju.com - she's got a KILLER special going on right now, too! Buy one set, get 3 free! So for $20, I got 4 darling sets! WOOHOO! Oh, I snagged the fabric from my stash. It's not nearly as busy as I was afraid it would be lol! The lining was some fabric I picked up the other night in hopes of making a peasant top for under Ellie's Feliz. However, with not so much of the underdress fabric showing, I thought the green made it a bit dark, and just went with a white tee shirt until I can get something else. That is, if I even bother... At this point, I'm good with the tee, and she loves that Noah's outfit "matches" hers. Sure, whatever floats her boat!
Ok, 'nuff rambling - now for some pics! First up, I've got pics of some of the 130+ bows I made for cheer competiton.
Marabou clippies for the Level 1 girls:
Cheetah inspired bows for Level 2:
Huge bows with names embroidered for Level 3:
And last, but not least, the spooky zombie cheerleader pigtails for Level 4:
And, my favorite, here are some of the Christmas outfits I made for the littles. I am LOVING the Feliz pattern! Now that I've made it once, I am sure it will go together much more quickly.
After finishing about 12 yards of ruffles for the dress, Ellie came in and informed me that she didn't want "too many" ruffles on the dress. Sighhhhhhhh.... So, I did what any good mama would do, and I reassured her that there weren't too many at all! Just one around the bottom, one on each arm, and five up the back ;o) Her response? "Oh, that sounds PERFECT!" ROFLOL! Yeah, not too many at all! I guess she just wanted some input?
I'm really loving this jonjon for Noah (is it still a jonjon if it's long pants?), as the plaid gives it a totally 70's vibe! He's so cute in it, and just loves the Santa on it. I got that Santa applique file from www.designsbyjuju.com - she's got a KILLER special going on right now, too! Buy one set, get 3 free! So for $20, I got 4 darling sets! WOOHOO! Oh, I snagged the fabric from my stash. It's not nearly as busy as I was afraid it would be lol! The lining was some fabric I picked up the other night in hopes of making a peasant top for under Ellie's Feliz. However, with not so much of the underdress fabric showing, I thought the green made it a bit dark, and just went with a white tee shirt until I can get something else. That is, if I even bother... At this point, I'm good with the tee, and she loves that Noah's outfit "matches" hers. Sure, whatever floats her boat!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
I'm so sorry!
I totally spaced on posting here last week!!! ACK! I *did* post to my Facebook, but that sure doesn't help here lol! Anyway, I had a great doctor's visit, and got to peek at the little one =D That was so exciting! And it looks like we are having another BOY!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO! Noah gets a brother, and he looks just like Ellie! I will post u/s pics as soon as I get access to a scanner. I'm technologically impaired these days, ever since the last scanner died. Shoot, I just got a new printer after having the last one die several months ago lol!
Other than that, life has been pretty bland. I'm enjoying it, for sure though! I've got a Christmas party tonight, and I think I am going to make a Cream Puff Cake, but modify it to become an Eclair Cake lol! I suppose that means I should get the babies dressed and head to the store. I also need to get some fabric to line some new winter church clothes for Noah and Ellie. I've got a navy plaid corduroy long jonjon cut out for him, but nothing to line it with. I've also got the sweetest, softest navy/dark green fabric that I believe is a brushed twill or a very lightly napped flannel. I'm planning a yoke dress for Ellie, and wanting to find a long sleeved romper pattern for Noah. I'm also nearly done with Ellie's Christmas dress. It's a Feliz, and I am LOVING it! I finally put the ruffler attachment on my machine and last week I turned out about 12 yards of ruffles for this one dress! Of course, as I'm pressing the last ruffle, Ellie informs me that she doesn't want her Christmas dress to be "too ruffly". Arrrrggggggghhhhhh! I think she'll survive, and I'm not going to cut down on the amount of ruffles I have planned for this dress. I'm using 4 different Christmas prints, and am thrilled with the way it's looking.
Noah is torturing Ellie - I've gotta run!
Other than that, life has been pretty bland. I'm enjoying it, for sure though! I've got a Christmas party tonight, and I think I am going to make a Cream Puff Cake, but modify it to become an Eclair Cake lol! I suppose that means I should get the babies dressed and head to the store. I also need to get some fabric to line some new winter church clothes for Noah and Ellie. I've got a navy plaid corduroy long jonjon cut out for him, but nothing to line it with. I've also got the sweetest, softest navy/dark green fabric that I believe is a brushed twill or a very lightly napped flannel. I'm planning a yoke dress for Ellie, and wanting to find a long sleeved romper pattern for Noah. I'm also nearly done with Ellie's Christmas dress. It's a Feliz, and I am LOVING it! I finally put the ruffler attachment on my machine and last week I turned out about 12 yards of ruffles for this one dress! Of course, as I'm pressing the last ruffle, Ellie informs me that she doesn't want her Christmas dress to be "too ruffly". Arrrrggggggghhhhhh! I think she'll survive, and I'm not going to cut down on the amount of ruffles I have planned for this dress. I'm using 4 different Christmas prints, and am thrilled with the way it's looking.
Noah is torturing Ellie - I've gotta run!
Monday, December 1, 2008
I must really enjoy that burning sensation.
We went to Angela's parents' house to celebrate Thanksgiving Wednesday night, then to Adrons parents' on Thursday. I had fully intended to cook a huge turkey dinner here on Friday, but it seems that it was not meant to be. First, my sister, Rebekah, had to cancel, which meant that she and my 2 youngest brothers weren't going to be able to make it. So I put off cooking the pumpkin pies. No biggie, I just thought I might skip that part and do the rest Friday morning. Well, I woke up Friday feeling quite ill. I decided to postpone the turkey dinner until Sunday so I could get some rest. By the time the girls were getting ready for the parade, I knew I was sick and couldn't make it. Thankfully, Adron took them, so I could stay home and puke. Fun stuff, huh?
I was feeling enough better on Saturday that I went ahead and went to the last Tiger football game of the year. Ugh. I felt so weak, but it was manageable as long as I was sitting down. Sunday, I woke up feeling much better, but still a bit weak, and I prepped the turkey for roasting. I headed out to church and gave Adron instructions for putting it in, and I would handle the rest when I got home. All went really well, and I put the rest of dinner together while it was cooking. I made homemade mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potato casserole (with a YUMMY praline topping instead of the marshmallows!), gravy, and warmed some brown and serve rolls. Holy cow, that was the best darn turkey I have EVER made! I used Sandra Lee's garlic & herb butter turkey recipe from the Food Network site, and that was the moistest turkey I've ever eaten!
However, in the process of making dinner, I managed to burn myself 4 times - in 4 *different* ways! Ouch! First, I splashed a little boiling water all over both hands when I was working on the potatoes. Next, I brushed the back of my hand up against the heavy-duty aluminum foil that was covering the top of the turkey to keep it from over-browning. Yeah, I learned that unlike regular foil that doesn't hold heat worth ANYTHING, the heavy duty stuff hangs onto that heat and is more than happy to share lol! After that, I (for some unknown reason) left the thermometer *in* the turkey when I checked it for the last time, and let it cook for another 30 minutes. Lemme tell you - that was HOT when I tried to pull it out! Blisters on 3 fingertips right then and there. After that, I was putting the rolls in the oven, and pushed the side of my right index finger right against the oven rack, thinking it was the edge of the cookie sheet. I feel like a complete genius right now, but at least I came up with a variety of ways to abuse myself ROFLOL!
I've not really been feeling like myself for several days now, and all that unusual clumsiness in the kitchen makes me think that I may be having a harder time recovering from that stomach bug than I had thought. I'm drained today, and have just wanted to sleep all day - not that the kids let me lol!
I'm outta here for now - my big ultrasound is on Wednesday and I am totally looking forward to seeing the baby!!!
I was feeling enough better on Saturday that I went ahead and went to the last Tiger football game of the year. Ugh. I felt so weak, but it was manageable as long as I was sitting down. Sunday, I woke up feeling much better, but still a bit weak, and I prepped the turkey for roasting. I headed out to church and gave Adron instructions for putting it in, and I would handle the rest when I got home. All went really well, and I put the rest of dinner together while it was cooking. I made homemade mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potato casserole (with a YUMMY praline topping instead of the marshmallows!), gravy, and warmed some brown and serve rolls. Holy cow, that was the best darn turkey I have EVER made! I used Sandra Lee's garlic & herb butter turkey recipe from the Food Network site, and that was the moistest turkey I've ever eaten!
However, in the process of making dinner, I managed to burn myself 4 times - in 4 *different* ways! Ouch! First, I splashed a little boiling water all over both hands when I was working on the potatoes. Next, I brushed the back of my hand up against the heavy-duty aluminum foil that was covering the top of the turkey to keep it from over-browning. Yeah, I learned that unlike regular foil that doesn't hold heat worth ANYTHING, the heavy duty stuff hangs onto that heat and is more than happy to share lol! After that, I (for some unknown reason) left the thermometer *in* the turkey when I checked it for the last time, and let it cook for another 30 minutes. Lemme tell you - that was HOT when I tried to pull it out! Blisters on 3 fingertips right then and there. After that, I was putting the rolls in the oven, and pushed the side of my right index finger right against the oven rack, thinking it was the edge of the cookie sheet. I feel like a complete genius right now, but at least I came up with a variety of ways to abuse myself ROFLOL!
I've not really been feeling like myself for several days now, and all that unusual clumsiness in the kitchen makes me think that I may be having a harder time recovering from that stomach bug than I had thought. I'm drained today, and have just wanted to sleep all day - not that the kids let me lol!
I'm outta here for now - my big ultrasound is on Wednesday and I am totally looking forward to seeing the baby!!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Yeah, I really should be doing other things right now...
But a girl's gotta eat breakfast, right? I'm still half asleep, my eyes aren't quite focusing yet, and I'm working on my 2nd bowl of "cookie cereal". Hey, it's not 8 yet and I'm awake, which is a huge deal these days! My parents and 2 baby brothers are coming up to visit today, and my house is such a mess! I honestly think it takes something like this to spur me into action. We really should have people over more often - not just people who know me and understand my limitations, but people who will judge me for the way I do things. Thankfully, the big girls helped last night before they went to bed, so I've got a running start :o) I have to finish straightening up the living room and vacuum, then I need to sweep the entryway and kitchen. After that, I'm vacuuming the stairs and cleaning my bathroom. I HATE living in a messy house, but once it builds up, it's so hard to get everything back to where it should be. Anyway...
Yesterday was a rough one. It started off just fine, but as the day went on, it got insane. I started by making a massive batch of granola. The kids go through about $10 in cereal ever week or so, and it's making me crazy! On top of that, they won't eat the "good for you" stuff, so it just sits here and eventually finds its way into the garbage after Noah dumps it all over the kitchen, or the bag gets thrown on the floor, and dirty laundry gets put on top of it. I know, this is me not being on top of things, but I can only do so much. I made the granola in the hopes that the girls might eat it, keeping them from whining about having to make cream of wheat, grits, or oatmeal every morning. So far, it seems to be a hit! Noah is calling it "cookie cereal", and is eating his 3rd serving (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup each)! Ellie ate it and says she likes it, Audrey wanted it for a snack when she got home yesterday, and Madeline is okay with eating it, despite the nuts. Sounds like we have a winner!
Sometime during the granola making process, Audrey called wanting me to bring her dress and tights for Latin dance club, as they were supposed to be taking pictures yesterday. Around 2:15, she called again, totally freaked that I hadn't made it up there yet. It's hard enough to get the kids out of the house in the 1st place, but anything before 1 is really pushing it for us! On top of that, Ellie, for whatever reason, decided to take a nap yesterday! She takes about 2 naps a month, so I try really, really hard not to wake her up when she does. I did finally have to wake her around 3 so we could pick Audrey up from dance. I'm pretty sure that Audrey has been mad at me for a couple of weeks now, but whatever. It's my job to parent, not to please. And right now, my parenting skills are being stretched very thin as all the kids seem to be in a very needy state.
After we got home from picking Audrey up, I had her start thawing some chicken breasts for dinner, and I took about a 30 minute nap. I made homemade chicken pot pie, but I was out of all-purpose flour, and the crust turned out to be more biscuit like. That was fine, it tasted great, but while I was making it, the big girls started fighting. Being stressed beyond belief, I told them to go fight somewhere else where I didn't have to hear it. Audrey started arguing with me, and I totally flipped out. Lovely. We wound up eating dinner about an hour later than I planned b/c it took so long to deal with the girls. Grrrrrrrr! So much for getting Christmas shopping done last night. I tried telling Adron that I'm losing my mind, that I just need to get out of the house and relax, and I need some adult conversation. So, being the helpful husband he can be, he picked up his guitar hero game and went back to playing it for the next hour, without a word to me. Sighhhhhh.... What do I have to do to get a break!!! Tonight is a PTA meeting - not a break, Saturday we went shopping - not a break, last Tuesday was my smocking guild meeting - still not really a break. I want some down time. AWAY from the kiddos. I really do enjoy them, and love being a full-time mom, but everyone has to have some time away from their job, right? I don't know what to do. I think I'm a better mom when I get some real "me" time, and get to go out with friends. I honestly don't know when I last went out with a friend and no kids. Adron throws a fit when I want to leave in the evening, but I really can only handle so much guitar hero, and listening to the kids fight.
Ellie is another story alltogether. Honestly, there is some type of noise (talking, humming, screaming, etc) coming out of her mouth approximately 50 minutes out of every hour during the day. I don't think Adron believes me. She has an attention span that is about 3 minutes long, she's constantly moving, messing with Noah, yelling about things not going her way, or just talking my head off. It's stressful. I enjoy her, but there's a limit to what I can take. Is it wrong to be looking forward to putting her in kindergarten next fall??? She is moodier than Audrey, and it's making me crazy! We really have to walk on eggshells around her so we don't set her off. When she has a meltdown, about 3-5 of them on normal days, it lasts a very long time, and there is no reasoning with her. She will sit upstairs and howl for an hour straight.
Noah is a snuggle bug. He's not challenging, just needy. Not a bad thing, really - at least someone around here likes me LOL! But it is still very physically and emotionally demanding. Good stress is still stress. I do love that when I tell him I need to go to the bathroom, he immediately gets off of me so I can go, and doesn't pitch a fit about it like he does when I leave the room for any other reason ;o)
It's been a quiet morning so far. The tv isn't on yet, and I'm liking that! Ellie is upstairs in her room talking to goodness only knows who/what, Noah is now on his 5th bowl of granola, and I haven't accomplished a thing. Unless, of course, you count this as "doing something" lol!
Back to work - I started a little bit of digital scrapbooking last night, but I don't know if I like it. My mojo is sooooo gone. Ah well, I'll post it later and let you be the judge :)
Yesterday was a rough one. It started off just fine, but as the day went on, it got insane. I started by making a massive batch of granola. The kids go through about $10 in cereal ever week or so, and it's making me crazy! On top of that, they won't eat the "good for you" stuff, so it just sits here and eventually finds its way into the garbage after Noah dumps it all over the kitchen, or the bag gets thrown on the floor, and dirty laundry gets put on top of it. I know, this is me not being on top of things, but I can only do so much. I made the granola in the hopes that the girls might eat it, keeping them from whining about having to make cream of wheat, grits, or oatmeal every morning. So far, it seems to be a hit! Noah is calling it "cookie cereal", and is eating his 3rd serving (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup each)! Ellie ate it and says she likes it, Audrey wanted it for a snack when she got home yesterday, and Madeline is okay with eating it, despite the nuts. Sounds like we have a winner!
Sometime during the granola making process, Audrey called wanting me to bring her dress and tights for Latin dance club, as they were supposed to be taking pictures yesterday. Around 2:15, she called again, totally freaked that I hadn't made it up there yet. It's hard enough to get the kids out of the house in the 1st place, but anything before 1 is really pushing it for us! On top of that, Ellie, for whatever reason, decided to take a nap yesterday! She takes about 2 naps a month, so I try really, really hard not to wake her up when she does. I did finally have to wake her around 3 so we could pick Audrey up from dance. I'm pretty sure that Audrey has been mad at me for a couple of weeks now, but whatever. It's my job to parent, not to please. And right now, my parenting skills are being stretched very thin as all the kids seem to be in a very needy state.
After we got home from picking Audrey up, I had her start thawing some chicken breasts for dinner, and I took about a 30 minute nap. I made homemade chicken pot pie, but I was out of all-purpose flour, and the crust turned out to be more biscuit like. That was fine, it tasted great, but while I was making it, the big girls started fighting. Being stressed beyond belief, I told them to go fight somewhere else where I didn't have to hear it. Audrey started arguing with me, and I totally flipped out. Lovely. We wound up eating dinner about an hour later than I planned b/c it took so long to deal with the girls. Grrrrrrrr! So much for getting Christmas shopping done last night. I tried telling Adron that I'm losing my mind, that I just need to get out of the house and relax, and I need some adult conversation. So, being the helpful husband he can be, he picked up his guitar hero game and went back to playing it for the next hour, without a word to me. Sighhhhhh.... What do I have to do to get a break!!! Tonight is a PTA meeting - not a break, Saturday we went shopping - not a break, last Tuesday was my smocking guild meeting - still not really a break. I want some down time. AWAY from the kiddos. I really do enjoy them, and love being a full-time mom, but everyone has to have some time away from their job, right? I don't know what to do. I think I'm a better mom when I get some real "me" time, and get to go out with friends. I honestly don't know when I last went out with a friend and no kids. Adron throws a fit when I want to leave in the evening, but I really can only handle so much guitar hero, and listening to the kids fight.
Ellie is another story alltogether. Honestly, there is some type of noise (talking, humming, screaming, etc) coming out of her mouth approximately 50 minutes out of every hour during the day. I don't think Adron believes me. She has an attention span that is about 3 minutes long, she's constantly moving, messing with Noah, yelling about things not going her way, or just talking my head off. It's stressful. I enjoy her, but there's a limit to what I can take. Is it wrong to be looking forward to putting her in kindergarten next fall??? She is moodier than Audrey, and it's making me crazy! We really have to walk on eggshells around her so we don't set her off. When she has a meltdown, about 3-5 of them on normal days, it lasts a very long time, and there is no reasoning with her. She will sit upstairs and howl for an hour straight.
Noah is a snuggle bug. He's not challenging, just needy. Not a bad thing, really - at least someone around here likes me LOL! But it is still very physically and emotionally demanding. Good stress is still stress. I do love that when I tell him I need to go to the bathroom, he immediately gets off of me so I can go, and doesn't pitch a fit about it like he does when I leave the room for any other reason ;o)
It's been a quiet morning so far. The tv isn't on yet, and I'm liking that! Ellie is upstairs in her room talking to goodness only knows who/what, Noah is now on his 5th bowl of granola, and I haven't accomplished a thing. Unless, of course, you count this as "doing something" lol!
Back to work - I started a little bit of digital scrapbooking last night, but I don't know if I like it. My mojo is sooooo gone. Ah well, I'll post it later and let you be the judge :)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
As promised :o)
Here is the outfit I made for Darby - I know her mommy said *she* liked it, but I'm hoping that Darby does, too... The fur cuffs were a total PITA! But not so bad that I wouldn't make 'em again lol!
I finally finished up Noah's monogrammed jonjon, too! I didn't have a chance to make the shirt to go underneath it, so I just used a polo shirt. Not sure I'm liking it, but I'd rather him wear it that for it to sit in the sewing room waiting on a shirt until he outgrows it. I suppose that is the problem with monogrammed clothing, huh! LOL! I don't know why I don't do more monogrammed things - not like jonjons and jumpers are hard to make, or take much fabric. I suppose I like to pass things down, and I can't if it has a name/monogram on it. Then I wonder why I care? Ah well, we all have our quirks ;o) Please ignore the bedhead - I always have the girls brush his hair in the car on the way to church, plus it was really windy Sunday! It was really cute - we were about to leave and I told Noah that he looked very handsome, and he ran to the door, squealing "Pictures! Pictures!" ROFLOL! Boy, does he know me well!
I am soooooooooooo craving Mexican food! Particularly enchiladas from Jaliscos, a local taqueria with the most amazing food, and the family that owns it is wonderful! Vanessa, the manager, is so incredibly friendly and funny, and her mother owns it. They have an all you can eat menu where they cook everything to order. It is so delicious! The babies and I went yesterday, and I had a beef taco, a chicken taquito, and 3 beef enchiladas. YUM!!!! That gravy they make is totally TDF!!! I sat there and thought about it all afternoon yesterday, and woke up thinking about it today. I'm not sure that's a good thing lol! I'm thinking it's time to make up a big pot of jambalaya and see if Vanessa *really* wants to swap food =D I mean, she said she likes Cajun and would be willing to trade. I wonder how many enchiladas (or how much of the gravy lol!) I could get for a pot of jambalaya...
I finally finished up Noah's monogrammed jonjon, too! I didn't have a chance to make the shirt to go underneath it, so I just used a polo shirt. Not sure I'm liking it, but I'd rather him wear it that for it to sit in the sewing room waiting on a shirt until he outgrows it. I suppose that is the problem with monogrammed clothing, huh! LOL! I don't know why I don't do more monogrammed things - not like jonjons and jumpers are hard to make, or take much fabric. I suppose I like to pass things down, and I can't if it has a name/monogram on it. Then I wonder why I care? Ah well, we all have our quirks ;o) Please ignore the bedhead - I always have the girls brush his hair in the car on the way to church, plus it was really windy Sunday! It was really cute - we were about to leave and I told Noah that he looked very handsome, and he ran to the door, squealing "Pictures! Pictures!" ROFLOL! Boy, does he know me well!
I am soooooooooooo craving Mexican food! Particularly enchiladas from Jaliscos, a local taqueria with the most amazing food, and the family that owns it is wonderful! Vanessa, the manager, is so incredibly friendly and funny, and her mother owns it. They have an all you can eat menu where they cook everything to order. It is so delicious! The babies and I went yesterday, and I had a beef taco, a chicken taquito, and 3 beef enchiladas. YUM!!!! That gravy they make is totally TDF!!! I sat there and thought about it all afternoon yesterday, and woke up thinking about it today. I'm not sure that's a good thing lol! I'm thinking it's time to make up a big pot of jambalaya and see if Vanessa *really* wants to swap food =D I mean, she said she likes Cajun and would be willing to trade. I wonder how many enchiladas (or how much of the gravy lol!) I could get for a pot of jambalaya...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Back again
Well, this week hasn't been quite what I was hoping it would be, but it's been fun lol! I haven't had a chance to clean anything in the sewing room since last Thursday, but it's so much more bearable now. I am starting to suspect that the next chance I have to work on it will be the week of Thanksgiving, when Adron has his next week of vacation. If I can only work on it when he's off, then I should be able to have it done by New Years =D That is really exciting to me!
Tonight and tomorrow, I have a retreat at church. I am really excited about it! Adron has to take Audrey to her dad tomorrow, so I will take the babies to church with me so he can take the little car and save a ton on gas. I'm so glad they have babysitting available! The retreat is over at 2, with Q&A until 4, so I'm thinking I'll get a chance to sew for a second tomorrow evening. We are going to a birthday party Sunday afternoon, and I'm making a spinny skirt and fur-cuffed appliqued tee for the princess. I made a skort and tee for her sister's birthday this summer, and I thought this would be a good follow-up lol! I'm in love with the fabrics I picked - I was going for a Christmasey theme, but didn't want it to be red and green, so I went with pink, lime, and black, and it's perfect! I went out on a limb and am using a black tee to go with it and I can't wait to see how it turns out! I promise I'll take pictures and share 'em lol!
Halloween was a blast! Audrey is taking Latin dance classes at school, so she wore her performance outfit. She looked absolutely beautiful, but I really didn't get a picture of her in all her glory :o( Madeline was a "Goth Vampiress" (ummmm.... isn't that kind of a redundant title???), and her costume was a real, honest to goodness, store-bought costume. Easy peasy! Ellie wanted to be an Indian Princess (not the kind with feathers, though, mommy), and we had a really pretty Indian top here already. I made a scarf to drape over her shoulder, and created my own pants pattern to go under the top. I found some cute curly-toe shoes at Dollar Tree, and she wore them over her tennis shoes. Noah was a magician - black tee, black sweats, black Converse high tops, top hat, gloves, and a cape. I made the cape, and he hated it! I had to sew it to the shirt for the evening so he wouldn't keep pulling it off lol! He refused to wear the hat and gloves for any length of time, but being the ham that he is, he let me take pictures of him in his full garb.... Boys! Do you know that it is nearly impossible to find a plain ol' magician's wand without going to a magic store? Yeah, I learned the hard way lol! Why do I always pick costumes that don't really exist?
Anyway, here are some pictures from Halloween - we went to curch for a party, and had a fabulous time! Micah, the pastoral assistant/youth leader, set up a fabulous scavenger hunt that the kids loved! He had coloring pages, saints stories, bobbing for apples, face painting, and some other games. The babies were so worn out, but no one wanted to leave!
I forgot to mention that we got a new computer! Ours totally died last Wednesday, so Friday night, Adron got us a new one :o) It's awesome to be back to normal lol! Unfortunately, I am having to take everything of the 750G external drive that appears to be defunct. Grrrrrrrrrr!
Tonight and tomorrow, I have a retreat at church. I am really excited about it! Adron has to take Audrey to her dad tomorrow, so I will take the babies to church with me so he can take the little car and save a ton on gas. I'm so glad they have babysitting available! The retreat is over at 2, with Q&A until 4, so I'm thinking I'll get a chance to sew for a second tomorrow evening. We are going to a birthday party Sunday afternoon, and I'm making a spinny skirt and fur-cuffed appliqued tee for the princess. I made a skort and tee for her sister's birthday this summer, and I thought this would be a good follow-up lol! I'm in love with the fabrics I picked - I was going for a Christmasey theme, but didn't want it to be red and green, so I went with pink, lime, and black, and it's perfect! I went out on a limb and am using a black tee to go with it and I can't wait to see how it turns out! I promise I'll take pictures and share 'em lol!
Halloween was a blast! Audrey is taking Latin dance classes at school, so she wore her performance outfit. She looked absolutely beautiful, but I really didn't get a picture of her in all her glory :o( Madeline was a "Goth Vampiress" (ummmm.... isn't that kind of a redundant title???), and her costume was a real, honest to goodness, store-bought costume. Easy peasy! Ellie wanted to be an Indian Princess (not the kind with feathers, though, mommy), and we had a really pretty Indian top here already. I made a scarf to drape over her shoulder, and created my own pants pattern to go under the top. I found some cute curly-toe shoes at Dollar Tree, and she wore them over her tennis shoes. Noah was a magician - black tee, black sweats, black Converse high tops, top hat, gloves, and a cape. I made the cape, and he hated it! I had to sew it to the shirt for the evening so he wouldn't keep pulling it off lol! He refused to wear the hat and gloves for any length of time, but being the ham that he is, he let me take pictures of him in his full garb.... Boys! Do you know that it is nearly impossible to find a plain ol' magician's wand without going to a magic store? Yeah, I learned the hard way lol! Why do I always pick costumes that don't really exist?
Anyway, here are some pictures from Halloween - we went to curch for a party, and had a fabulous time! Micah, the pastoral assistant/youth leader, set up a fabulous scavenger hunt that the kids loved! He had coloring pages, saints stories, bobbing for apples, face painting, and some other games. The babies were so worn out, but no one wanted to leave!
I forgot to mention that we got a new computer! Ours totally died last Wednesday, so Friday night, Adron got us a new one :o) It's awesome to be back to normal lol! Unfortunately, I am having to take everything of the 750G external drive that appears to be defunct. Grrrrrrrrrr!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Sewing Room, Day 4
Anne - honey, you can come shopping in my sewing room any time you'd like! LOL! I would be more than happy to have you over! Too bad it would be an impossible drive :p ROFLOL! How 'bout a transcontinental ferry???
I had study group at church last night, and left a bit early so I could swing by Hancocks. I salvaged about 10-15 more bolts, and bought some fabric. I know, I know - it's for Ellie's Halloween costume, though, and I'm going to have to get to my cutting table AND sewing machine today! EEK! It's not that bad, though ;o) LOL! I found a gorgeous embroidered taffeta Indian top, and she needs some pants to go with it. Oh, and a scarf - I promise I'll take pictures lol!
Today, I started on the big pile of misc. stuff. OMGoodness! It is a huge tangle of fabric, elastic, ribbon, thread, pattern pieces, half-done projects, and assorted notions. I managed to fill a giant lawn and leaf bag before the garbage truck came WOOHOO!!! Now my pile of fabric has grown again, and I'm slightly overwhelmed lol! I've got tons of scraps, perfect for quilting (which I don't do), or applique, and I'm gonna have to go through them all. Some are destined for the trash, some for Stacey who requested them ;o), some for me, and the rest, I suppose will be up for grabs... I have a distinct feeling that there is going to be a good bit of stuff I'm getting rid of lol! I still have 3 totes of fabric, but I'm pretty sure that they are fairly small pieces, too. Ugh. I really don't want to deal with them! Maybe if I bag 'em and bring them downstairs to work on while Noah is destroying the house, it won't be so bad. Did I mention that I found more big pieces of fabric, so I still need even more bolts than I did yesterday afternoon? Sheesh! This is ridiculous! I've got to get this fabric addiction under control! I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of it is due to my disorganiziation. I tend to buy things over and over when I can't find what I already have. Usually, if it's consumable in some way, that's not too big of a deal. But when you have more than 3 of the same size pintuck presser feet, there's a problem...
On happier things, I've been plotting what I'm going to do once I get it all cleaned up ;o) So far, I am planning to get 2 of the 8 foot plastic tables from Costco. One will be for my machines (and I may get a 4 ft. one to make an L-shaped work area, if there's room), and the other will get a plywood top to make my cutting table/ironing board. I'm planning to add 1x2s around the underneath edges of the plywood to keep it from sliding around on the table. Then I would like to cover it with a layer of low-loft batting (and/or Thinsulate), a layer of felt, and finally, stretch canvas over it and use a laundry marker to draw on a grid. That will eliminate the need for a seperate ironing board, but I will still need a sleeve board to get small areas. That presents the issue of what to do with my iron when it's not in use, as I'm planning to put the cutting table in the middle of the room so I can walk around it. I'm also planning to use bed risers, or something like that, to make it the right height for me. I would like to build some narrow shelves on the sides of my "window seat" area, and I can get cloth bins to store my patterns and put them there. I would also like to make a cushion for the seat part, just 'cause I can lol! The two tables will allow me to eliminate the ironing board,
my grandmother's ginormous buffet that is currently my cutting table, the desk that my sewing machine and embroidery machine are on, and the sewing table that the serger is on. It will also allow me to set up my "cheapie" machine as a full-time ruffler!
I had Adron pick up a couple boxes of gallon zipper bags to store incomplete projects. My goal is going to be to complete 5 a month until they are done. Right now, I have no idea how many there are, but I would have to say it's upwards of 50!!! That's crazy!!!!!!! Hmmmmmm.... maybe I'll give away UFOs here, along with scraps LOL!
Note: I typed this yesterday, then went back upstairs to work a bit more before I actually published this post. Wellllllll...... I *did* get a lot accomplished, but while I was upstairs, our computer died. I don't mean crashed, burped, or whatever. No, it is DEAD! I don't think the HD was affected, so I should be able to retrieve everything we had on there, even though it was backed up through Mozy. That might explain why it thought all my digiscrapping files on the external HD were gone. I'm crossing my fingers that this was the case!!!
On sewing room news, I managed to go through the entire pile of misc junk, and threw away one kitchen bag, and 3 large Hancock's bags full of garbage! I haven't even started on the mountain of fabric that is taking up a huge chunk of floor space LOL! There is also still a ton of stuff over in the paper crafting area, most of it belongs to that craft, but I know there is sewing stuff mixed in, as well. Then, I went through ALL of my ribbon, and wound 120 clothes pins, and Audrey was helping wind larger yardages onto empty ribbon spools. I don't have more than 5 yards of anything, I don't think, so storage is relatively easy. Right now, the spools take up 3 of my korker dowels, which are about 18" long, and I've got about 200 total clothespins wound with ribbon that are all in a box now, until I can get storage jars for them. Did I mention that the Linens-N-Things down the street is going out of business? Maybe I should go check that out!
I have a gallon ziplock stuffed with narrower satin ribbons (from 1/16" to 3/8"), and I know I'm never going to use them, so if there is anyone out there that wants them, let me know, and they are yours for shipping :o)
In addition to the ribbon taming, I also started bagging and tagging my UFOs. As of now, I have 34 bags with projects in them, for a total of 40 projects. There are some projects sitting on my cutting table, a few are mixed in with the fabric, and a few more are in bags with the pattern I was using on them. I'm hoping that there aren't more than about 10 UFOs left to bag! On the bright side, a lot of them are nearly done, just need buttons or neck binding =)
Today's mission is to clear off that cutting table so I can make Ellie's Halloween costume - sewing time on that should be less than an hour from cut to press ;o)
I'm not sure how long it will be before we have a computer again, or how often I can borrow this one, but I'll check back as often as possible - keep your fingers crossed that we can find an awesome new machine for an awesome price!
I had study group at church last night, and left a bit early so I could swing by Hancocks. I salvaged about 10-15 more bolts, and bought some fabric. I know, I know - it's for Ellie's Halloween costume, though, and I'm going to have to get to my cutting table AND sewing machine today! EEK! It's not that bad, though ;o) LOL! I found a gorgeous embroidered taffeta Indian top, and she needs some pants to go with it. Oh, and a scarf - I promise I'll take pictures lol!
Today, I started on the big pile of misc. stuff. OMGoodness! It is a huge tangle of fabric, elastic, ribbon, thread, pattern pieces, half-done projects, and assorted notions. I managed to fill a giant lawn and leaf bag before the garbage truck came WOOHOO!!! Now my pile of fabric has grown again, and I'm slightly overwhelmed lol! I've got tons of scraps, perfect for quilting (which I don't do), or applique, and I'm gonna have to go through them all. Some are destined for the trash, some for Stacey who requested them ;o), some for me, and the rest, I suppose will be up for grabs... I have a distinct feeling that there is going to be a good bit of stuff I'm getting rid of lol! I still have 3 totes of fabric, but I'm pretty sure that they are fairly small pieces, too. Ugh. I really don't want to deal with them! Maybe if I bag 'em and bring them downstairs to work on while Noah is destroying the house, it won't be so bad. Did I mention that I found more big pieces of fabric, so I still need even more bolts than I did yesterday afternoon? Sheesh! This is ridiculous! I've got to get this fabric addiction under control! I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of it is due to my disorganiziation. I tend to buy things over and over when I can't find what I already have. Usually, if it's consumable in some way, that's not too big of a deal. But when you have more than 3 of the same size pintuck presser feet, there's a problem...
On happier things, I've been plotting what I'm going to do once I get it all cleaned up ;o) So far, I am planning to get 2 of the 8 foot plastic tables from Costco. One will be for my machines (and I may get a 4 ft. one to make an L-shaped work area, if there's room), and the other will get a plywood top to make my cutting table/ironing board. I'm planning to add 1x2s around the underneath edges of the plywood to keep it from sliding around on the table. Then I would like to cover it with a layer of low-loft batting (and/or Thinsulate), a layer of felt, and finally, stretch canvas over it and use a laundry marker to draw on a grid. That will eliminate the need for a seperate ironing board, but I will still need a sleeve board to get small areas. That presents the issue of what to do with my iron when it's not in use, as I'm planning to put the cutting table in the middle of the room so I can walk around it. I'm also planning to use bed risers, or something like that, to make it the right height for me. I would like to build some narrow shelves on the sides of my "window seat" area, and I can get cloth bins to store my patterns and put them there. I would also like to make a cushion for the seat part, just 'cause I can lol! The two tables will allow me to eliminate the ironing board,
my grandmother's ginormous buffet that is currently my cutting table, the desk that my sewing machine and embroidery machine are on, and the sewing table that the serger is on. It will also allow me to set up my "cheapie" machine as a full-time ruffler!
I had Adron pick up a couple boxes of gallon zipper bags to store incomplete projects. My goal is going to be to complete 5 a month until they are done. Right now, I have no idea how many there are, but I would have to say it's upwards of 50!!! That's crazy!!!!!!! Hmmmmmm.... maybe I'll give away UFOs here, along with scraps LOL!
Note: I typed this yesterday, then went back upstairs to work a bit more before I actually published this post. Wellllllll...... I *did* get a lot accomplished, but while I was upstairs, our computer died. I don't mean crashed, burped, or whatever. No, it is DEAD! I don't think the HD was affected, so I should be able to retrieve everything we had on there, even though it was backed up through Mozy. That might explain why it thought all my digiscrapping files on the external HD were gone. I'm crossing my fingers that this was the case!!!
On sewing room news, I managed to go through the entire pile of misc junk, and threw away one kitchen bag, and 3 large Hancock's bags full of garbage! I haven't even started on the mountain of fabric that is taking up a huge chunk of floor space LOL! There is also still a ton of stuff over in the paper crafting area, most of it belongs to that craft, but I know there is sewing stuff mixed in, as well. Then, I went through ALL of my ribbon, and wound 120 clothes pins, and Audrey was helping wind larger yardages onto empty ribbon spools. I don't have more than 5 yards of anything, I don't think, so storage is relatively easy. Right now, the spools take up 3 of my korker dowels, which are about 18" long, and I've got about 200 total clothespins wound with ribbon that are all in a box now, until I can get storage jars for them. Did I mention that the Linens-N-Things down the street is going out of business? Maybe I should go check that out!
I have a gallon ziplock stuffed with narrower satin ribbons (from 1/16" to 3/8"), and I know I'm never going to use them, so if there is anyone out there that wants them, let me know, and they are yours for shipping :o)
In addition to the ribbon taming, I also started bagging and tagging my UFOs. As of now, I have 34 bags with projects in them, for a total of 40 projects. There are some projects sitting on my cutting table, a few are mixed in with the fabric, and a few more are in bags with the pattern I was using on them. I'm hoping that there aren't more than about 10 UFOs left to bag! On the bright side, a lot of them are nearly done, just need buttons or neck binding =)
Today's mission is to clear off that cutting table so I can make Ellie's Halloween costume - sewing time on that should be less than an hour from cut to press ;o)
I'm not sure how long it will be before we have a computer again, or how often I can borrow this one, but I'll check back as often as possible - keep your fingers crossed that we can find an awesome new machine for an awesome price!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Day 3 of Sewing Room Clean-up
I'm tired - not much of a post now, but here's what I've accomplished since the last post. I emptied out the china cabinet and put my diaper sewing supplies in it. Here is the china cabinet in all its glory.
I salvaged some more bolts from Hancocks (they really look at me funny when I go in asking for the empty bolts. "You mean the cardboards? How many? Really??? Well, you can sure have them - we just throw them away." Every time.), wrapped up more fabric, but still need about another 30-40 more. Sheesh! Every time I think I'm getting somewhere, I find more fabric lol! On the left, I have the purple french terry I mentioned yesterday, a couple of misc fabrics, suedecloth, minkee, fleece, sherpa, my amazing vintage floral, a sheer, some corduroy, a lovely navy and tan plaid silk suiting, and a cotton print.
I also piled some more on top - minkee and fleece, plus some knits and wovens in the back, then more knits up front. Yesterday, Ellie went "shopping" in my sewing room and was pointing out all the fabrics she loves lol! Thankfully, it is most of them ;o) You see the white velour with the pink floral print? That is another PRR that I'm really thinking about using to make a hooded cape for Ellie - but I'm not sure there's enough. The white with red hearts is destined to be another Olivia with short sleeves, black long sleeves, hood, and pocket. Cute with black leggings ;o)
I also wrapped smaller pieces on the comic book boards, and here's what I've got so far.
I salvaged some more bolts from Hancocks (they really look at me funny when I go in asking for the empty bolts. "You mean the cardboards? How many? Really??? Well, you can sure have them - we just throw them away." Every time.), wrapped up more fabric, but still need about another 30-40 more. Sheesh! Every time I think I'm getting somewhere, I find more fabric lol! On the left, I have the purple french terry I mentioned yesterday, a couple of misc fabrics, suedecloth, minkee, fleece, sherpa, my amazing vintage floral, a sheer, some corduroy, a lovely navy and tan plaid silk suiting, and a cotton print.
I also piled some more on top - minkee and fleece, plus some knits and wovens in the back, then more knits up front. Yesterday, Ellie went "shopping" in my sewing room and was pointing out all the fabrics she loves lol! Thankfully, it is most of them ;o) You see the white velour with the pink floral print? That is another PRR that I'm really thinking about using to make a hooded cape for Ellie - but I'm not sure there's enough. The white with red hearts is destined to be another Olivia with short sleeves, black long sleeves, hood, and pocket. Cute with black leggings ;o)
I also wrapped smaller pieces on the comic book boards, and here's what I've got so far.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
New Grosgrain Giveaway!
GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!
You have totally got to see this one, too! 3 darling reversible skirts, 3 adorable reversible shirts - and they are all just too cute for words!!!
In addition, she is opening a store in the very near future - I can't wait!
You have totally got to see this one, too! 3 darling reversible skirts, 3 adorable reversible shirts - and they are all just too cute for words!!!
In addition, she is opening a store in the very near future - I can't wait!
Sewing room cleaning, days 1 & 2
Here's some pics for you! First up, we have part of the stuff I threw out yesterday. More went, but it was taken outside before I got a picture ;o)
Next up are pics from today. I spent a couple of hours putting fabric on bolts or comic book boards. Here are the tall bolts - the 1st layer... On the left, I have twill and denim, assorted stuff in the middle, and knits on the right - from the solid grey fabric on. Right next to the grey is one of my favorite fabrics ever! It is a white on white dyeable stripe. I used it to mkae an outfit for Noah when he was a newborn :o)
Striped Ottobre zipper. Lesson learned while making this one - NEVER put an invisible zipper in something that is made of a striped knit... I honestly spent 3-4 hours on that darn zipper! This one little unsuspecting outfit is truly my sewing masterpiece - the stripes match at every seam with the exception of the crotch gusset which is really pretty unmatchable lol!
But I digress lol! Here is the 2nd layer of bolts. There is some upholstrey weight on the left, then some corduroy and terry cloth, then baby fabrics, blue, red, and purple gingham sheer (voile maybe?), cotton prints, and the last 7 bolts on the left are flannel. The 1st flannel, the turquoise print, has tinkerbell on it, and it's another of my absolute favorite fabrics! I am planning to line a pink velour jacket with it for Ellie =D
I ran out of bolts to roll my fabric on, but I still had a mountain of stuff staring at me! So, I rolled up the knits until I can get by Hancock's. This pile starts with french terry at the bottom - I bought it natural for $1/yd at Walmart, and felt the extreme urge to dye it! I dyed some pink, some blue, and there is a bolt that has about 8 yards of purple on it, but it's on the other side of the room right now. On top of that, I have my solid knits, then my prints. I adore the PRR citrus print with the coordinate stripe - I'll have to see if I can find a pic of Ellie in the outfit I made from it several years ago. Then random knits lol!
Last, but not least, you have the back stack containing some baby sherpa, my chenille, and yet another favorite fabric. The blue and green floral print came from my great aunt and is only about 32" wide. I am in love with it, but knowing that it's vintage makes me hesitant to cut into it! Maybe a sling for the new baby?
And I guess that's it for now. Audrey and I made meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes for dinner and I am STARVING!!!!!
Next up are pics from today. I spent a couple of hours putting fabric on bolts or comic book boards. Here are the tall bolts - the 1st layer... On the left, I have twill and denim, assorted stuff in the middle, and knits on the right - from the solid grey fabric on. Right next to the grey is one of my favorite fabrics ever! It is a white on white dyeable stripe. I used it to mkae an outfit for Noah when he was a newborn :o)
Striped Ottobre zipper. Lesson learned while making this one - NEVER put an invisible zipper in something that is made of a striped knit... I honestly spent 3-4 hours on that darn zipper! This one little unsuspecting outfit is truly my sewing masterpiece - the stripes match at every seam with the exception of the crotch gusset which is really pretty unmatchable lol!
But I digress lol! Here is the 2nd layer of bolts. There is some upholstrey weight on the left, then some corduroy and terry cloth, then baby fabrics, blue, red, and purple gingham sheer (voile maybe?), cotton prints, and the last 7 bolts on the left are flannel. The 1st flannel, the turquoise print, has tinkerbell on it, and it's another of my absolute favorite fabrics! I am planning to line a pink velour jacket with it for Ellie =D
I ran out of bolts to roll my fabric on, but I still had a mountain of stuff staring at me! So, I rolled up the knits until I can get by Hancock's. This pile starts with french terry at the bottom - I bought it natural for $1/yd at Walmart, and felt the extreme urge to dye it! I dyed some pink, some blue, and there is a bolt that has about 8 yards of purple on it, but it's on the other side of the room right now. On top of that, I have my solid knits, then my prints. I adore the PRR citrus print with the coordinate stripe - I'll have to see if I can find a pic of Ellie in the outfit I made from it several years ago. Then random knits lol!
Last, but not least, you have the back stack containing some baby sherpa, my chenille, and yet another favorite fabric. The blue and green floral print came from my great aunt and is only about 32" wide. I am in love with it, but knowing that it's vintage makes me hesitant to cut into it! Maybe a sling for the new baby?
And I guess that's it for now. Audrey and I made meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes for dinner and I am STARVING!!!!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Spring, errr, FALL Cleaning!
I went upstairs this morning to sew. I, as usual, unlocked the door and was completely overwhelmed by how messy my craft room is! There are just paths from the door to the sewing machine, and from the sewing machine to the ironing board. There is so much stuff on the floor that I have to kick things out of my way just to iron! I can't even get to my paper crafting area at all! It's a horrific mess, and I can't stand it!!!!! I learned a while back that all that mess totally saps my creativity, and I've made a couple of valiant attempts at cleaning it up. Then, after an afternoon or two devoted totally to the sewing room, I give up and put it off again. Now that I'm feeling the 2nd trimester, I am bound and determined to clean it up, once and for all. This is where you, my wonderful blog friends, come in :o) I need you to hold me accountable for making steady progress on the room. I have already committed to not sewing anything until I get it under control, but that plan has (clearly) failed me in the past LOL!
So far today, I have managed to throw out a large box of random pattern pieces, a kitchen garbage bag of scraps (the unusable kind), pattern tracings, and other assorted junk, along with a broken baby gate and another small (grocery) bag of junk. Hmmmm - I really should take a picture of what I'm throwing out, just to document my progress! I have pics of the mess from the past, but I'm not posting those! I am not one to be embarrassed, but this mess is so out of control that I can't bring myself to show it. Hmmmm - maybe I will post before and after pictures when I'm done? That might be entertaining...
Right now, I have a bunch of great ideas for organizing the room on a budget, but I'm really hurting for storage space. I've got a good sized china cabinet that I need to empty out and that might be usable. It's a really old one, and has no glass - just wood doors. I think I like that! Right now, it is full of cheap picture frames, some glassware, my grandmother's journals, and other random junk. I know that I haven't used anything in it at least since we moved here, if not before. We bought this house in March '03 - if I haven't touched it in 5 years, something needs to be done with it! I'm really not sure it would be a good place to store my fabric, as the wood would probably damage it, but I think I can make it work for my notions, patterns, yarn, and who knows what else! I have a bunch of empty bolts that I've gotten from the fabric store, and I've worked on putting my large pieces of fabric on them. Right now, there are quite a few done and standing neatly against the wall in 2 different places, but there is a ton of fabric that still needs to be done. I've been putting the smaller (less than 2 yds.) pieces on comic book boards, and that is really nice. I started that a couple years ago, but am still a long way from done. On a side note, while trying to find the link showing how to fold the fabric, I ran across this link on sewing room organiziation! Holy cow! I am a fan!!! Not that I am really going to follow all the suggestions there, but it's great inspiration!
My chicken pot pies are done, and I'm going to get back to organizing after I eat :o) Did you know that 1 Banquet chicken pot pie contains 850 mg sodium - 35% of your USRDA!!! Ack!!!!!!
So far today, I have managed to throw out a large box of random pattern pieces, a kitchen garbage bag of scraps (the unusable kind), pattern tracings, and other assorted junk, along with a broken baby gate and another small (grocery) bag of junk. Hmmmm - I really should take a picture of what I'm throwing out, just to document my progress! I have pics of the mess from the past, but I'm not posting those! I am not one to be embarrassed, but this mess is so out of control that I can't bring myself to show it. Hmmmm - maybe I will post before and after pictures when I'm done? That might be entertaining...
Right now, I have a bunch of great ideas for organizing the room on a budget, but I'm really hurting for storage space. I've got a good sized china cabinet that I need to empty out and that might be usable. It's a really old one, and has no glass - just wood doors. I think I like that! Right now, it is full of cheap picture frames, some glassware, my grandmother's journals, and other random junk. I know that I haven't used anything in it at least since we moved here, if not before. We bought this house in March '03 - if I haven't touched it in 5 years, something needs to be done with it! I'm really not sure it would be a good place to store my fabric, as the wood would probably damage it, but I think I can make it work for my notions, patterns, yarn, and who knows what else! I have a bunch of empty bolts that I've gotten from the fabric store, and I've worked on putting my large pieces of fabric on them. Right now, there are quite a few done and standing neatly against the wall in 2 different places, but there is a ton of fabric that still needs to be done. I've been putting the smaller (less than 2 yds.) pieces on comic book boards, and that is really nice. I started that a couple years ago, but am still a long way from done. On a side note, while trying to find the link showing how to fold the fabric, I ran across this link on sewing room organiziation! Holy cow! I am a fan!!! Not that I am really going to follow all the suggestions there, but it's great inspiration!
My chicken pot pies are done, and I'm going to get back to organizing after I eat :o) Did you know that 1 Banquet chicken pot pie contains 850 mg sodium - 35% of your USRDA!!! Ack!!!!!!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Can't sleep...
I wish I knew what was wrong with me, but I have no idea lol! I've been icky (think flu-like) for the past 4-5 days, but that's not it. Noah has been running a fever of 104 since last night - thankfully, Motrin is helping. I am so tired, but my mind is just whirring.
While trying to get to sleep, I started thinking about old friends. I tried in vain to find them on Facebook, but I just keep hoping that someday soon they will reappear out of the blue :) I'm totally missing the two Gingers that I got to know in 2001 when we were planning our weddings. The three of us met online at Wedding Channel, and got married over 3 weekends. I actually got to meet one of them around the time I had Max! Maybe it was that fall? I just can't remember right now. Then there is an old friend that I haven't talked to since Ellie was born. I think. He's a local radio guy, and he and his wife are just amazing! I really want to find him, too!!! Another one is a wonderful, wonderful woman I met on Ovusoft, right around the time we got pregnant with Max. She always remembered his birthday, but we lost touch a couple years ago. At one point, for his birthday, she sent me the most gorgeous bracelet with his name on it. Rivka, if you read this, I want you to know that I love you and miss you dearly, and that bracelet is probably my most prized possession!
In the past, I might have wondered what it was about being pg that makes me so sentimental. Now, I know that I associate all of these amazing people with the part of my life that included Max. I feel so blessed to have recently found several other friends that I had been missing, who I also got to know during that time. But that in itself is almost bittersweet... I'm SO glad to see them again, and am LOVING getting to catch up, but it just keeps bringing back memories that I kinda like to shelve while I'm pg. Oh, heck with that - I always like to shelve them, but when I'm pg, I'm just more emotional when they surface. Needless to say, the past several days have had me in tears about Max more times than I can remember. I haven't missed him this deeply since we had Ellie and she kind of helped fill that Max-shaped hole in my heart. Or maybe even since his 2nd birthday, when he was all but forgotten by so many people. Not the ones that matter, just the ones who were on the outskirts of my life.
I had such a wonderful pregnancy with Max! I was part of a fabulous online group, and several of us had babies around the same time. We used to chat almost every day, and it was so much fun! I was so full of joy and hope for the sweet baby I was carrying, and so full of plans for his future. I wondered what he would look like, what color hair he would have, if any, and I even prayed that he would have beautiful brown eyes, just like his daddy. Everything was so perfect then! We bought our house when I was 7 months pg, and I painted nearly the entire insides of the house in the 2 weeks between closing and moving in. I set up a beautiful nursery for him, and my MIL bought him a gorgeous crib. I found the sweetest Noah's Ark bedding, and sewed a coordinating extra long dust ruffle that touched the ground when the mattress was at it's highest level. I also made a crib organizer, a memo board, and pads for my rocking chair. I smocked a sweet daygown for him, we shopped for baby Raiders things when we got to go to Oakland the fall I got pg with him. I bought a moses basket and made a liner for it - with little cars and trucks all over it. I sewed cloth diapers for him, that he actually got to wear a few times. I dreamed about him, thought about him during the day, and thought it was downright hillarious that his 3rd birthday was 6-6-06!
Then he was born, and before we knew what happened, he left us. Oh, the memories of that day! I can't stand to think about it right now! It is all way too vivid! The worst part was having to tell everyone. All my online friends found out either in chat or by email, or from the journal I was posting in back then. When I got pg with Ellie, I still visited my Chatties some, but it was so tough. Not long after I had her, I totally stopped chatting with my friends. You know, the people who had been there and had shown us so much love throughout all of this. Rivka sent things several times over the next few years, and each time I wrote a tear-stained thank you note that never made it to the mail. I know I was a pretty bad friend, but as I'm finding each of these amazing ladies, they have acted like it was nothing.
Noah isn't sleeping well tonight, either. I hear him upstairs in his room, moving around, occasionaly calling for Mama, or for one of his sisters, and knocking on the door. I just want to go up there and grab him and hug him tightly. I hate knowing that he's sick, and seeing those little red cheeks just makes me melt! I want to go upstairs and kiss all my babies, but I know that would just wake up Madeline, and would keep Noah from going back to sleep. They are my light sleepers. Ellie and Audrey would have no clue that I had even come up there lol! Now Adron is awake, wondering where I am, and I really should go back to bed. But my brain is running a mile a minute. I can't lie down and be still. My eyes refuse to close. My pillow is worthless. I want a mattress that isn't so old and worn out. I have stuff to do tomorrow. I need to find a way to get rid of the kids for a day so I can fulfill an obligation to recruit 40+ judges for a project at Madeline's school. Just people in the community, businesses, etc., but I have no idea how to get that many people. So I probably should send out an email to our awesome PTA board and see if any of them can help. I need to type up the minutes from tonight's meeting. I can't make it to the membership function we are having tomorrow, and I'm the membership chair. I am sure that someone I really like really hates me right now, and I don't know how to fix it. Nor do I know if I really care. Well, I do, but enough to worry about it? Obviously so. I have a meeting with Audrey's teachers on Thursday morning, and I need someone to watch the babies so Adron can be there to back me up. I'm totally stressed about the meeting, and I really hate that school. I don't want to send Madeline there next year. For that matter, I don't know where Audrey is going to go next year, as the high school we are zoned for is horrible!!! Saturday is the Tiger's homecoming, and not only did our mascot die last week, but we are also playing a pretty good team. That stinks. My computer seems to think that my 750 gig external HD is empty. All my digital scrapbooking stuff is on there. I have no idea what do to fix the situation. And about 52 other things running through my brain along with all of these.
And I wonder why I can't sleep...
While trying to get to sleep, I started thinking about old friends. I tried in vain to find them on Facebook, but I just keep hoping that someday soon they will reappear out of the blue :) I'm totally missing the two Gingers that I got to know in 2001 when we were planning our weddings. The three of us met online at Wedding Channel, and got married over 3 weekends. I actually got to meet one of them around the time I had Max! Maybe it was that fall? I just can't remember right now. Then there is an old friend that I haven't talked to since Ellie was born. I think. He's a local radio guy, and he and his wife are just amazing! I really want to find him, too!!! Another one is a wonderful, wonderful woman I met on Ovusoft, right around the time we got pregnant with Max. She always remembered his birthday, but we lost touch a couple years ago. At one point, for his birthday, she sent me the most gorgeous bracelet with his name on it. Rivka, if you read this, I want you to know that I love you and miss you dearly, and that bracelet is probably my most prized possession!
In the past, I might have wondered what it was about being pg that makes me so sentimental. Now, I know that I associate all of these amazing people with the part of my life that included Max. I feel so blessed to have recently found several other friends that I had been missing, who I also got to know during that time. But that in itself is almost bittersweet... I'm SO glad to see them again, and am LOVING getting to catch up, but it just keeps bringing back memories that I kinda like to shelve while I'm pg. Oh, heck with that - I always like to shelve them, but when I'm pg, I'm just more emotional when they surface. Needless to say, the past several days have had me in tears about Max more times than I can remember. I haven't missed him this deeply since we had Ellie and she kind of helped fill that Max-shaped hole in my heart. Or maybe even since his 2nd birthday, when he was all but forgotten by so many people. Not the ones that matter, just the ones who were on the outskirts of my life.
I had such a wonderful pregnancy with Max! I was part of a fabulous online group, and several of us had babies around the same time. We used to chat almost every day, and it was so much fun! I was so full of joy and hope for the sweet baby I was carrying, and so full of plans for his future. I wondered what he would look like, what color hair he would have, if any, and I even prayed that he would have beautiful brown eyes, just like his daddy. Everything was so perfect then! We bought our house when I was 7 months pg, and I painted nearly the entire insides of the house in the 2 weeks between closing and moving in. I set up a beautiful nursery for him, and my MIL bought him a gorgeous crib. I found the sweetest Noah's Ark bedding, and sewed a coordinating extra long dust ruffle that touched the ground when the mattress was at it's highest level. I also made a crib organizer, a memo board, and pads for my rocking chair. I smocked a sweet daygown for him, we shopped for baby Raiders things when we got to go to Oakland the fall I got pg with him. I bought a moses basket and made a liner for it - with little cars and trucks all over it. I sewed cloth diapers for him, that he actually got to wear a few times. I dreamed about him, thought about him during the day, and thought it was downright hillarious that his 3rd birthday was 6-6-06!
Then he was born, and before we knew what happened, he left us. Oh, the memories of that day! I can't stand to think about it right now! It is all way too vivid! The worst part was having to tell everyone. All my online friends found out either in chat or by email, or from the journal I was posting in back then. When I got pg with Ellie, I still visited my Chatties some, but it was so tough. Not long after I had her, I totally stopped chatting with my friends. You know, the people who had been there and had shown us so much love throughout all of this. Rivka sent things several times over the next few years, and each time I wrote a tear-stained thank you note that never made it to the mail. I know I was a pretty bad friend, but as I'm finding each of these amazing ladies, they have acted like it was nothing.
Noah isn't sleeping well tonight, either. I hear him upstairs in his room, moving around, occasionaly calling for Mama, or for one of his sisters, and knocking on the door. I just want to go up there and grab him and hug him tightly. I hate knowing that he's sick, and seeing those little red cheeks just makes me melt! I want to go upstairs and kiss all my babies, but I know that would just wake up Madeline, and would keep Noah from going back to sleep. They are my light sleepers. Ellie and Audrey would have no clue that I had even come up there lol! Now Adron is awake, wondering where I am, and I really should go back to bed. But my brain is running a mile a minute. I can't lie down and be still. My eyes refuse to close. My pillow is worthless. I want a mattress that isn't so old and worn out. I have stuff to do tomorrow. I need to find a way to get rid of the kids for a day so I can fulfill an obligation to recruit 40+ judges for a project at Madeline's school. Just people in the community, businesses, etc., but I have no idea how to get that many people. So I probably should send out an email to our awesome PTA board and see if any of them can help. I need to type up the minutes from tonight's meeting. I can't make it to the membership function we are having tomorrow, and I'm the membership chair. I am sure that someone I really like really hates me right now, and I don't know how to fix it. Nor do I know if I really care. Well, I do, but enough to worry about it? Obviously so. I have a meeting with Audrey's teachers on Thursday morning, and I need someone to watch the babies so Adron can be there to back me up. I'm totally stressed about the meeting, and I really hate that school. I don't want to send Madeline there next year. For that matter, I don't know where Audrey is going to go next year, as the high school we are zoned for is horrible!!! Saturday is the Tiger's homecoming, and not only did our mascot die last week, but we are also playing a pretty good team. That stinks. My computer seems to think that my 750 gig external HD is empty. All my digital scrapbooking stuff is on there. I have no idea what do to fix the situation. And about 52 other things running through my brain along with all of these.
And I wonder why I can't sleep...
Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
Holy cow!!! Have you been over to see this FABULOUS gown being given away? It is breathtaking! Go check it out - NOW!!!!
Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
Be back soon with more sewing *I* have accomplished =D
Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
Be back soon with more sewing *I* have accomplished =D
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Kitty Olivia
Not much of a post here, but I finally finished the Olivia I had cut out weeks ago, and here it is! We were actually on our way to go buy her some leggings to go under it - it's kinda naked-ey looking without them lol! I came to the conclusion that it is not worth my time and energy (and fabric costs!) to sew basic leggings - only if they are a coordinating fabric that I can't just buy off some rack somewhere =D Oh, and I modified the hood to make it a spiral instead of knotted. I found the instructions on www.sewingmamas.com - Oceanna was the creator!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wow! 2 days in a row!!!
I didn't have much time last night, so I just posted that qute (before I lost it lol). But I have pics from Noah's birthday party, as well as a few other random things :o) So here I am again!
Noah says the cutest things - right now, he's always saying "Hey Eh-nor!" and "Hey! Where's my wubbie? Oh! Dear it is!" and "Awwww maaaaaan! Noah wanna watch Gabba!" He has started singing all kinds of songs, and yesterday, he was trying to tell knock knock jokes! I just want to squish him - he's sooooo stinkin' cute! What am I talking about - I DO squish him all day long, and I love every second of it ;o)
Ok, now for his birthday lol!
I always make Ellie a dress or an outfit for her birthday. I made 2 outfits for Noah's birthday last year, but I hadn't made him anything this year. While sewing the other day, I ran across a piece of knit with cars on it, and thought it was perfect! So, Tuesday morning, I took it downstairs to show to Noah, and he snatched it right out of my hands. I knew we had a winner! I decided to make a curved raglan from Ottobre 3/2006, but the smallest size they had was a 104, or about a 5T. Not gonna happen - Noah is about an 86, but I tend to make 92s for grow room now. Well, I decided that by not adding seam allowances, that 104 would size down perfectly to a 92. And it did! Here is the result:
Sorry - he was being so *boy* that I had to show more than one picture lol!
Anyway, we took him to Chili's for dinner, which was a blast. I have issues with their call ahead system, though - I called, told them I had a party of 14, and requested Jay as our server. They told me that in order to have a specific server, I had to show up 20-30 minutes early. Ok, I can do that, with the added bonus of them listening to my kids scream for the entire wait. Whatever. When we got there, the restaurant was nearly empty, so they set our tables up right away and seated us. Aweseome! Unfortunately, Boots and Greg were both working, and they were running a little late getting there. So, Noah started getting cranky (and he won't eat tortilla chips, the little heathen!), so Greg and Angela gave him one of his presents to open early. His face was so precious! He was squealing about it being "Yea-go!" (Diego), and happily played with the toys until Deb and Boots got there a few minutes later. Sweet. Then we ordered, but being a large order, it took a little bit for it to come out. Everything was good, but Noah just picked at his burger. Ah well, not like the kid needs "real" food anyway, right? LOL!
Then we had Jay bring out the cake. I made an ice cream cake - it was more of a Picasso than a Rembrandt, but it tasted great! I used rocky road ice cream, which Noah loved! I tried to light the candles, and Noah was blowing them out faster than I could work lol! I finally gave the lighting job to Adron so I could take pics ;o)
After we finally got him to quit blowing, he opted to stick his fingers in the flame. Thankfully it wasn't for long, and he just pouted for few minutes.
Here's the cake:
Before the cake came out, Noah got to start opening the rest of his presents. First up was Thomas from Mimi and PopPop. Oh, wow! It was a hit! He wouldn't take his had off of it for anything, either!
Then, Greg and Angela gave Noah a brand new lovie :o) We laughed so hard at him - he started to open the package, saw the satin edge, and promptly pushed the package away while trying to tape it back up!!! I think he knew that if he pulled that lovie out, it would wind up right up his nose, and his eyes would start to get heavy lol! So, we set it aside and let him finish opening his gifts. Once he was done, I pulled out his old lovie while trying to find his baby wipes, and he pushed the old one away and asked for the new one. It was so sweet! He hugged it right to himself, laid his head down on the table and closed his eyes. For exactly .53 seconds lol! Then he just held onto it and went right back to playing lol!
Ellie didn't make it as far as the cake - poor kid crashed after she ate her corn dog...
And on a random note, I had extra cake batter after baking the cake layer for the ice cream cake. I figured cupcakes would be a perfect use for this =D Noah had picked out the cupcake papers and the sprinkles when we went to the store that morning. Not like you can really tell, but the purple ones are Eeyore, orange is Tigger, yellow is Pooh, and the pink ones are Piglet.
I think that is enough for now - I will try to get back in the next couple of days with other pictures :o)
Noah says the cutest things - right now, he's always saying "Hey Eh-nor!" and "Hey! Where's my wubbie? Oh! Dear it is!" and "Awwww maaaaaan! Noah wanna watch Gabba!" He has started singing all kinds of songs, and yesterday, he was trying to tell knock knock jokes! I just want to squish him - he's sooooo stinkin' cute! What am I talking about - I DO squish him all day long, and I love every second of it ;o)
Ok, now for his birthday lol!
I always make Ellie a dress or an outfit for her birthday. I made 2 outfits for Noah's birthday last year, but I hadn't made him anything this year. While sewing the other day, I ran across a piece of knit with cars on it, and thought it was perfect! So, Tuesday morning, I took it downstairs to show to Noah, and he snatched it right out of my hands. I knew we had a winner! I decided to make a curved raglan from Ottobre 3/2006, but the smallest size they had was a 104, or about a 5T. Not gonna happen - Noah is about an 86, but I tend to make 92s for grow room now. Well, I decided that by not adding seam allowances, that 104 would size down perfectly to a 92. And it did! Here is the result:
Sorry - he was being so *boy* that I had to show more than one picture lol!
Anyway, we took him to Chili's for dinner, which was a blast. I have issues with their call ahead system, though - I called, told them I had a party of 14, and requested Jay as our server. They told me that in order to have a specific server, I had to show up 20-30 minutes early. Ok, I can do that, with the added bonus of them listening to my kids scream for the entire wait. Whatever. When we got there, the restaurant was nearly empty, so they set our tables up right away and seated us. Aweseome! Unfortunately, Boots and Greg were both working, and they were running a little late getting there. So, Noah started getting cranky (and he won't eat tortilla chips, the little heathen!), so Greg and Angela gave him one of his presents to open early. His face was so precious! He was squealing about it being "Yea-go!" (Diego), and happily played with the toys until Deb and Boots got there a few minutes later. Sweet. Then we ordered, but being a large order, it took a little bit for it to come out. Everything was good, but Noah just picked at his burger. Ah well, not like the kid needs "real" food anyway, right? LOL!
Then we had Jay bring out the cake. I made an ice cream cake - it was more of a Picasso than a Rembrandt, but it tasted great! I used rocky road ice cream, which Noah loved! I tried to light the candles, and Noah was blowing them out faster than I could work lol! I finally gave the lighting job to Adron so I could take pics ;o)
After we finally got him to quit blowing, he opted to stick his fingers in the flame. Thankfully it wasn't for long, and he just pouted for few minutes.
Here's the cake:
Before the cake came out, Noah got to start opening the rest of his presents. First up was Thomas from Mimi and PopPop. Oh, wow! It was a hit! He wouldn't take his had off of it for anything, either!
Then, Greg and Angela gave Noah a brand new lovie :o) We laughed so hard at him - he started to open the package, saw the satin edge, and promptly pushed the package away while trying to tape it back up!!! I think he knew that if he pulled that lovie out, it would wind up right up his nose, and his eyes would start to get heavy lol! So, we set it aside and let him finish opening his gifts. Once he was done, I pulled out his old lovie while trying to find his baby wipes, and he pushed the old one away and asked for the new one. It was so sweet! He hugged it right to himself, laid his head down on the table and closed his eyes. For exactly .53 seconds lol! Then he just held onto it and went right back to playing lol!
Ellie didn't make it as far as the cake - poor kid crashed after she ate her corn dog...
And on a random note, I had extra cake batter after baking the cake layer for the ice cream cake. I figured cupcakes would be a perfect use for this =D Noah had picked out the cupcake papers and the sprinkles when we went to the store that morning. Not like you can really tell, but the purple ones are Eeyore, orange is Tigger, yellow is Pooh, and the pink ones are Piglet.
I think that is enough for now - I will try to get back in the next couple of days with other pictures :o)
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