Sew.What.

Fabric Tuesday: Eli's quilt!

2012-01-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

I finally got Eli's baby quilt finished up! This will be Eli's coming home blanket. I just LOVE it to pieces. It's Lily & Will 2 fabric with a brown fleece on the back. I did simple straight line stitching and alternated yellow and aqua thread. The binding is the same line, but it's a brown polka dot I didn't use on the front. I can't even tell you how perfect the size is, I think it's like 36x40?? Great for a baby, and super soft! We will probably use this as his carseat/travel blanket.

Joing up at Quiltstory for Fabric Tuesday.

Bachelor Ben

2012-01-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

So the first date goes to Rachel. Poor Kacie B was sad. She said "I wish this were just over and done with and we were just going to the grocery store". I love it.

Ben rode in on a horse, he sure looks good riding a horse.

Rachel:

A date on a lake. What a beautiful postcard view they were in. The colors of the trees were great. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like the nose ring on her. I also doing think she is really attractive. This date seems to be very boring, there isn't much talking going on. Even when she was talking about how she has a hard time talking and opening up it was this awkward conversation.

Group Date:

Horse back riding and fly fishing. This wouldn't be a date for me I'll tell you right now. I'm afraid of horses and don't like touching fish. Anyway, this isn't about me.... Courtney really annoys me. I understand her wanting to use her opportunities when she can, but come on. She's just soo freakin' annoying! I'm glad Lindzi snuck in on their time, but I can't believe that Courtney caught a fish. Gag me. Courtney talks like a baby. Oh geez, I'm sorry all these posts turn into Courtney bashing.

Nicki's chat with Ben I thought was well spent. Samantha just jumped right in and was like "what's the deal with the group dates". She shouldn't have done that. Ben pretty much shot her down and I thought it was kinda funny. I'm surprised she didn't burst into tears right then and there when he just let her go. Ben took Kacie B to his room to spend some quiet uninterrupted time, and even admitted he wanted to kiss her in the river. I'm telling you she's the keeper in the bunch! He even admitted "I'm in trouble with Kacie B, it's early and I'm feeling a lot for this girl". Eee I'm happy. Then Courtney's claw came out and the night was stolen by her and she played the pathetic card and the bitch got the rose! She keeps saying "winning, winning" - seriously doesn't she realize that Charlie Sheen is NOT a good role model???

Jennifer:

The picture above doesn't do Jennifer justice, she really is adorable, and the red is good on her. The crater date was fun though, what an adventure. They got right down to the "nitty gritty" and talked about relationships, then they were stormed on. Nothing more fun than rain on a first date. Clay Walker? I don't know who that is, but how fun are these dates? It's not the cheesy typical dates on the Bachelor, they are more homebody down to earth fun. Ben was singing along and they were dancing.

Cocktail Party/Rose Ceremony:

Well here goes the real drama.... So Emily bit the dust and told him about Courtney being different around the girls than him and as expected he told her that it may backfire on her own demise to focus on other girls and not her and Ben. Then Casey S defended Courtney when Emily was talking to the girls. Gag. Of course I don't like Casey S either, so she can just go fly a kite if she is friends with Courtney. Then of course Casey S went and tattled on Emily - this is really catty and pathetic. I agree Emily shouldn't have spoken up, but this is all just dumb. Then Courtney and Casey sit around and bitch about Emily right behind her, seriously this is just horrible. Courtney is acting like such a bitch, I wish Ben could have been a fly on the wall to hear how she talks to the girls.

Emily was saved in the end, she better make the best of her time with Ben! Monica got the boot.

My final 3 remain unchanged:

1. Kacie B

2. Jennifer
3. Jamie even though there wasn't much of her this week.

My name is Kerri & I'm a book hoarder....

2012-01-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

So I think it's time to admit I'm starting to have a problem. I have always been a book reader, I love books of all types. One year in college I had an hour bus ride each way to campus/work and in 3 months I read 19 Danielle Steel novels. I was so proud of that, it clearly still makes me proud.

The last 2 years, this will be my 3rd year, I have been doing a reading goal with other stay at home moms. 2010 I completed 26/25. My original goal that year was 12 and I had to up it half way through the year to 25. Last year I completed 30/30. My goal again this year is 30. It was a tight finish in 2011 but with a newborn this year I think 30 is still a good tough goal. So far in 2012 I have already completed 4 books... I'm on my 5th already in 21 days!!

Well my bookshelf doesn't hold all my books, my mom has probably 5 or 6 of my books on her shelf and today, today I rented 2 more from the library and mom and I went to goodwill and bought more books! How many more?

This many more....

Plus there is a book for Aiden we bought too that didn't make the picture. In my defense, the Tom Clancy books were cheap and new for my dad. The My Sergei is a figure skaters memoir for my brother and the rest are for me to read, and mom to read. I've read all the Twilight series, but for 2.99 and 3.99 each I got them, now I just need the last one to have the set. And Memoirs of a Geisha and A Million Little Pieces have been on my to read list for awhile. So I'm thrilled with my new lot.

Best part? We spent $53 on the books and I totaled up the original price, using the ones listed on the book covers themselves, and it was at $205.26! We saved 150$ on these books. Woot! I have a problem, one day there will be a show called "BOOK HOARDERS" and I'll be on it...

Bachelor Ben

2012-01-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

So right off in the intro we learn that Ben thinks Jennifer is so far the best kisser... that's a juicy tidbit to share with his sister.

Emily:

Climbing a bridge, yeah I would have freaked out too. Kissing on top of the bridge sure is romantic though. Emily seems really down to earth, and she is working on a PHD which is always good, shows she has commitment and motivation right? I loved how at dinner Ben is so not bitter about Ashely last season. That's a good look into his personality. And how funny is it that she was "matched" with her brother. The fireworks as they kissed though, some of these stunts are so darn cheesy.

Group Date:

This whole "leap list" I have never heard of this. Skiing on the streets of San Fran? Hmm, okay Ben, that's a bit strange. I love the guys standing on the side watching all the ski bunnies in bikinis. Kudos to Jamie for being the only one not in a bikini! I do give credit to Kacie B too - she would be me for sure, falling all over the place, but it won her points!

I love how Kacie B took Ben to "sneak out" - at least other girls *cough, Blakely, cough* can't steal him away. I think she won points though for being open about her feelings. Ben said "she sparkles" - aww I really like her.

Brittney:

I applaud her, I love when women make the right choice instead of staying for their 15 minutes. I am glad she didn't go on her date before leaving too, way to give it to someone who really wants it. Sad to see her go but she wasn't on my list anyway.

Lindzi:

So she was the runner up for Brittney's date. Ice cream cones and the trolley tour, these dates aren't too bad at all. I have a feeling Ben has a lot of input on his dates instead of letting them all be decided for him. I'm not really sure what to say about their date, they seem to be having a wonderful time, but the only thing that stood out to me was them playing the red piano together. I like a guy who can play piano. Lindzi was on my top the first 2 weeks, but this week she just didn't bring it for me, I am not sure now if I want her in my top 3.

Rose Ceremony/Cocktail Party:

Jennifer is the only red head and she wears it well, and she's pretty sweet. Plus he keeps saying she's the best kisser of the bunch, then he even told her and they kissed - now all the girls do know. She just might be moving up. Nicki played a card game with Ben, like a Q&A thing, that was a cute - but of course Courtney thinks it's juvenile. I just can't stand Courtney and everything she says is just horrible. I sure hope Ben finally sees it, there is always one who have a split personality - the girls see one side and the bachelor sees another. So frustrating. I don't like Elyse - she looks a bit goth to me tonight.

Courtney's crying fit was so fake to me "I don't need to find love like this!" Oh geez, what's one more to her - she seems to think she is God's gift to men. All these girls seem to think Ben has not talked to Shawntel before tonight, but it seems like they have had a connection prior to the show. Erika passing out is classic. She has hardly had time with Ben as it is - and she's that upset? I don't get these girls sometimes. And Jaclyn is crying and upset, again, she is just jealous, I think she's ugly anyway.

THE SHOCKER:

Shawntel from Bachelor Brad's season! Dun, dun, dun! If you recall she was the mortician who put Brad on the slab. "Holy Shit" is Ben's reaction when he sees her walk out to him. That can't be good for the other girls! I would have been one of the spying girls too just for the record. I can't believe how speechless he is. She is a better pick than some of the others left in the game.

In the end he of course sent Shawntel home along with 2 others, good for him. That's technically 4 gone today.

My Top 3:

1. Kacie B

2. Jamie

3. Jennifer maybe?

Quilt Finishes

2012-01-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

First up is a baby quilt I made for a friend at Christmas. I just call it "Brielle" aka the baby's name.

Next up in my mom's surprise quilt. This quilt started out as a Kaleidoscope quilt last year, I had all the pieces cut up but just did NOT like how it looked on my design wall. I put it away and finally just made something up with the fabric I had. Turned out I LOVED how it looks, and mom just adores it. I made her a rice heating pack to match. She curls up with both nightly. I call her quilt "Soul Blossoms Love Triangle"

This is Brock's quilt I made for his birthday. He was surprised as well and had even seen this quilt in various stages on my design wall. I also made him a matching heating rice pack. I don't have any official completed photos, he was supposed to take some and send to me, but well, that hasn't happened yet. I also failed to name this one...

A little Aiden Photo update

2012-01-15T09:41:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I have really updated on Aiden's life. He is just growing up so quickly and getting soo smart if I do say so myself. He talks A LOT and it's all so clear that most people assume he's 3. Here are some of his latest pics I just adore.

He told me "I drew an E"... sure looks like an E to me....and a heart!

"Cheese"

He's very into taking self pics on my phone now

And lastly Aiden fell asleep on Eli.

Bachelor Recap

2012-01-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

Let's just jump right into the fun....

Kacie B:

How did I miss her last week? She is adorable! I love her personality and her smile is so genuine. Her outfit for her first date, THE first date, was very appropriate. Not too hoochie, but comfy and fun. She seems like a fun person to be with too, willing to play the piano, marching down the street twirling a baton. Such a perfect little date. Then Ben makes it even better by taking her to this sweet theater and watching home movies of them. What a great thing to do on a first date! Then Ben and her got all emotional over watching his dad, *tear*. Loved it, loved her! Got the first date rose, and some good kissing. She is up high on my list now! We could have just ended the show after their date and I would be happy.

Group Date:

Great way for Ben to find out who is fun and can work well with kids. Some of the ladies go a bit over the top of course, but if you can overcome the embarrassment then more power to them! What the hell was Blakey wearing today - but I loved the little mexican boy who goes "she did good". Lol. Britney and Jamie failed on their turns. When it came down to the costumes, I think it's hilarious - I would have about died doing this if it were my date. Ben sure did a cute job acting...

If only I could have found a picture of Ben as the "naked sheep" this would have been a much happier post. Jennifer's alone time in the hot tub, way to go her, he totally just shut her up and went in for a make out session. Boo to Blakely getting the rose.

Courtney:

"Winning" oh boy, yes, looking up to Charlie Sheen is a great role model. When she gets her date card she keeps saying things about kissing, spin the bottle - umm hello, he makes wine for a living, I'm sure that was the idea behind the comment. Oh I love how she pulls the typical model line about being a model guys don't ask her out because they are intimidated.

*sorry - I missed the romantic dinner portion of Courtney's date and didn't start watching again until he was talking to Jamie again. Aiden was awake*

Cocktail Party:

My dislike of Blakely is growing quickly. I always hate the ladies who take over all the time even though they are safe. It shows a lot of insecurity on her part. Then she took him away for a 2nd time during the rose ceremony. Oh geez, Blakely is stilling even MORE time with her hiding in a corner crying....Jenna is in bed crying. Oh the drama has started early this season.

Glad Jennifer got a rose, not thrilled about most of the others. Like Monica, could live without her moving on. Glad Jamie is still holding on too. Jenna is on her way out though. So sad, after last week though I am completely fine with that. She redeemed herself a bit this week, but clearly not enough.

My Top Picks:
1. Kacie B pulled ahead
2. Jamie
3. Lindzi

Wordless Wednesday: 33 weeks

2012-01-04T16:21:00.001-08:00

The Bachelor is BACK!

2012-01-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

So excited Ben F is the Bachelor this season. I loved him last season, I hope he really finds a good one. Now, let's talk about Ben for a moment shall we.... I think he is goofy and has this good look in a down home kinda way. That being said.... what kind of cheesy posed photo is this thanks to ABC?

I mean really? We all know he is a Winemaker but did they really need to go this far for the photo shoot?? I mean this is just as pathetic as Jake's "On the Wings of Love" we had to suck up and deal with for an entire season. I will not be using this picture in my blog posts for the remainder of the season. Instead I found a much more normal picture to use:

There were some really awful intros to Ben this season. There were too many horrible ones to catch all the names, but here is my list of awkwardness...

- the girl who screwed up her quote
- the girl who was all like "I'm nervous" and then just stood there {there were 2 who just stood there dumbstruck}
- the lawyer who said he was "guilty of being sexy"
- the one who brought her granny
- the one who said to ask her a wine question but then couldn't answer
- the one who just walked right past him
- the one who said "I miss my dog"
- who could forget the one who rode in on a horse {although she's from the NW!}
- the one whose last name was Bacon, and he made her kiss "canadian bacon"...the "baconator!"

I'm sure there were more horrible ones, much less memorable good ones that's for sure... Really smooth ladies. Kudos to the girl who stole the first kiss - way to go. I think they really tell these ladies to be as corny and weird as possible. I was cheering when he said "I'm really feeling these brunettes". Good for him.

Here are my top picks, usually my top picks stay similar all season, I also always pick a winner on night one.... here we go...

Jamie: {my #1 as of night one}

What is not to like about Jamie from NY. She took custody of her young siblings because she had no dad and her mom had dependency issues. She's an OB nurse and she has a great personality and is beautiful. She didn't get the first impression rose, but she got the first rose at the ceremony. Love her.

Nicki:

She had really good charisma. She was "bubbly" as Ben put it. She has a stable job, not some flaky model, and again, she's a beautiful brunette... what a smile.

Lindsey {or Lindzi C as ABC spells it online?}

Her intro video wasn't bad, she's the best looking "blonde" in the bunch, and he apparently liked her riding in on a horse. I just like her because she seems normal. I'm a bit confused though, her ABC bio says she is from Florida, but she said Bellevue/Seattle on her tape and that's what the show caption said. Hmph.

My NO list:

Courtney:

I do NOT like Courtney. I don't like how cocky she was from the start, I didn't like her little video interview, I don't think she is really THAT attractive, who cares if she is a model. I have heard some rumors about this one, so we will see how far she goes.

Jenna:

What can we say about Jenna. Cry baby? Already having bad drama is never a good sign. For goodness sake she locked herself in a bathroom to cry. Jenna isn't gonna get far like that. Who cares why Monica is here, Jenna needs to not worry about the others in the house.

Monica:

The 2nd half of the drama club. Not pretty, very immature and not worthy of staying. I don't know what was going on with her and Blakely tonight, and I do NOT like her weird cackle/laugh. She also admitted she felt absolutely nothing for Ben so far, I mean she should at least be intrigued or find him attractive if she is staying.

Random comments about tonight's cocktail party:

I don't think a single one of the blondes, or semi blonde's, is pretty. Honestly, I think they all have weird noses or just look super fake. He did a good job weeding some of them out tonight at the rose ceremony. I also think Blakely has a long horse face. Elyse reminds me of the Days of Our Lives actress Nadia Bjorlin {she used to play Chole}. Monica and Blakely are acting like lesbians, drunk much? Kickball in dress clothes is some good wholesome kind of fun.

Season previews:

Lots of crying, it looks like everyone cries at least once. An ex-girlfriend of Ben's comes back to ruin all the fun. Courtney is a two faced bitch, I also think it was Courtney who went skinny dipping with Ben, looked like her for sure. The rose ceremony is going to be a good one, doubts are never good. Should be a good season.

Anyone else have opinions?

2012 Resolutions

2011-12-30T21:24:00.000-08:00

And another year is about to start... I can't believe just how fast this year as gone. It seems like it wasn't that long ago I found out I was expecting Eli. It doesn't seem possible that Aiden is already well into his 2's - and acting it too! :) I lot got accomplished in the year, and a lot didn't. Here is to hoping 2012 works out a bit better....

Life Goals:

- Lose baby weight after Eli is born - not setting a number, but technically I could stand to lose 100lbs and still be a size 12....
- Obviously deliver and recover safely in February
- Potty Train Aiden by Oct 9 - his 3rd bday.
- Start showering, putting on anything but lounge clothes and perhaps wearing my hair down more often. Now, it's not like I don't shower, but since hitting 2nd trimester it's becoming an every 2-3 day thing, not a daily thing. Also I spend most days in my nightgown, yoga pants or sweats and my hair up... so ya know, as I lose weight I'm hoping to want to put some effort into my looks again.

Reading Goals:

- Read The Hunger Games Trilogy {already downloaded all 3 on my kindle!}
- Try reading at least one new author.
- Seriously read a famous person's Biography. This shouldn't be hard to do, but it was on my list this year and I still managed to skip over it.
- My new goal is only going to be 20. 30 this year was a stretch, matter of fact I am only halfway through my 30th book - so umm, I'll be up until 1159pm reading tomorrow....

Sewing Goals:

- Complete Brock's birthday quilt {his bday is the day after mine, Jan 6th.... eek!}
- Complete Eli's baby blanket
- Make a Tumbler block quilt
- Make a Color Block quilt
- Dick & Jane quilt
- A quilt for my dad's birthday in Oct.
- Try using more solids
- Try making mom's Sunbonnet Sue quilt... I've never done applique and I'm terrified!

Well there you have it - some goals, in print, for me to work on this coming year. I'm sure 2012 will be wonderful no matter what happens, after all baby Eli will be joining us! Here's hoping my hubby gets a great job too....

Blogger's Choice FQ Bundle - My Entry!

2011-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

Quokka Quilts Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundle Contest.

What's this all about you ask? Well if you have to ask, you must not be in on the sewing blog circuit! Fat Quarter Shop has a "bloggers choice" fat quarter bundle section, and Quokka Quilts thought it would be great if we all could dream of being in that category. One lucky blogger's bundle will be picked a winner and they will receive a HALF-YARD of each of your 15 fabric choices! What a bundle that would be!

Here is my inspiration for colors.... I don't know why, but these colors have been in my "inspiration" folder for a long time, I just think it's such a different palate that normal. I hope I did it justice. I tried to find the right pink to use, but none of the picks I found worked the way I wanted, so I opted to remove the pink color from my palate. I don't think it changed the feel too much. I think one day I just may need to make a quilt from these fabrics even if I have to buy them myself!

My Inspiration from Design Seeds

My Fabric Choices

1. Bella Solids Terrain Cactus YardageSKU# 9900-175

2. Bella Solids Orange YardageSKU# 9900-80

3. Bella Solids Purple YardageSKU# 9900-21

4. Terrain Moss Seedpod YardageSKU# 27095-16

5. Rainbowesque Batiks Purple Scroll YardageSKU# 22022-660

6. Treasures and Tidbits Orange Tiny Florals and Dots YardageSKU# 10999-8

7. Terrain Bloom Seedpod YardageSKU# 27095-13

8. Meet Me At Sunset Pink Mumsy YardageSKU# STELLA-8-PINK

9. Desired Things Olive Tonal Oblong Dots YardageSKU# 0082-4

10. Autumn Gatherings Purple Leaf Stripe YardageSKU# 2JAA-2

11. Bohemian Soul Day Rhapsody YardageSKU# BOH-503

12. Rocking Horse Ranch Brown Suede Texture YardageSKU# 45390-A

13. Chelsea Purple Leaves YardageSKU# 32546-3

14. Grand Bazaar White Corridors YardageSKU# DS5069-WHIT-D

15. Chelsea Green Stripe YardageSKU# 32547-4

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

Bedtime on Christmas Eve

Getting Ready to see what Santa Brought - he's soo excited!

Here is a short video of him seeing that Santa came and ate his cookies and brought him Buzz and Woody!

The Polar Express

2011-12-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

I am sure most of you have heard of the Polar Express book, or seen the Tom Hanks animated movie of it. Aiden fell in love with the movie this year and we watch it 2-3 times a day. Matter of fact, it's 10am now and we just started it for the 2nd time. He loves the music, dances and sings along, he loves the train, and he gets excited every time they get to the North Pole.

Here where we live they put on a Polar Express train ride every year. My mom bought our whole family tickets to ride on the train and it was such a fun experience. They even ask that kids show up in their jammies!

The conductor was hilarious - although his humor was lost on a 2 year old. They danced up and down the aisles with the kids, served hot chocolate and cookies. The hobo from the movie came through the train ranting and raving a few times, Aiden didn't really understand that it was the bum from the movie. The conductor came through and punched every child's "gold ticket" just like in the movie, and then of course we got to the North Pole.

At the "north pole" we saw Santa's house and where the reindeer live on one side of the tracks. We saw the toy warehouse and village on the other, and Santa and the Elves were outside waiting to board the train! Santa went through each train car and handed out silver engraved bells to each child and took pictures. Aiden wasn't sure about this particular Santa, but hasn't put his bell down since.

Overall, if you have a chance to ride on the "polar express" in your town, please do. Aiden loved it, Kris loved it and read along in the book when they read it aloud. The hot chocolate was good, and it was something I know Aiden will talk about forever. I've posted some of my favorites photos from the trip.

30 weeks

2011-12-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

First bare belly

So I'm a tad late, but I am now 30 weeks along. Everything with me looks healthy, Eli is growing well, roughly 3lbs and 15.7 inches according to online. As of today we only have 60 days left until Eli arrives.

My sleep has been pretty choppy though. The unisom really helps me sleep better, but the hip pain still is nagging at me and keeping me uncomfortable. My hips just ache all night. During the day while I'm up and about it's really not noticeable, but 10 minutes of laying down and I get up to pee I can hardly stand. It's horrible. That's really my only complaint though.

I ordered myself some hospital/postpartum clothes. A couple pairs of fold down lounge pants, a light tshirt and a hoodie. All on sale, gotta love that. So now I can check one more thing off my list. I got registered for the hospital and signed the paperwork to confirm the c-section date and time.

Now all the little things are starting to pile up on me, like should I get a 2nd diaper bag? How do we get Aiden out of our bed and into his own bed in 8 weeks? I need to make our pre-baby appointment with the pediatric orthopedic surgeon so we know what to expect. After December is over and we get the tree down I have to start pulling out the infant car seat and washing baby clothes. It;s really hard to believe I'm already down to this point, it's gone so fast! *sigh*

Here is a picture of Aurora loving up on me. I wasn't feeling good and she laid down with me.

Writers Workshop - College - Drunk Bowling

2011-12-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

4.) Share a story from your college years

Oh to just pick one is tough. However, the one that generally comes to mind is "Drunk Bowling". It's really not as fun as it sounds... at least it wasn't for me!

So it was a weekend night and I work close (I was a store manager) for a campus coffee shop/internet cafe'. I didn't get off work until after midnight but there were plans for a group of my friends to go bowling. Of course bowling alley's have beer to purchase, so they planned to share a few pitchers while hitting the lanes, and they'd been drinking while waiting for me to get off work. I was underage.

D-Rock and I - clearly wasted on another night

Fast forward - off work now. My friend Derek - aka D-Rock - was also working with me that night and underage, so once off work we were supposed to "catch up" and then we'd all head to the bowling alley. They pick us up and take us to my friend Chris's place. Tequila shots were handed out. After 2 D and I were still feeling nothing, so of course we took back a few more shots. A handful of shots, a quick "snack" and off we went. You can imagine where this is going...

Somewhere between Chris' apartment and the bowling alley, the Tequila kicked in. Oh how I love me some Tequila, seriously, I do love it. I remember getting shoes and setting up a cool nicknames on the screen, and it starts to go downhill from there. Derek of course was holding strong just being nice and drunk, but I was not doing so hot. It was my first turn up, and I remember starting to pull my arm back and then forward to release.... Boom - the ball drops hard on the floor. No where even close to the lane. I don't actually recall if I made another attempt or got the ball down the lane at all.

Different night, but Chris and I drunk again

My next memory is telling my friend Alison and my roommate Ashely that I needed to go to the bathroom. My memory is gone from here on out for awhile. I think Alison helped me to the bathroom, I can still hear her laughter.

Next thing I can recall is Derek and Chris coming in the bathroom and Alison and Ashley taking off my bowling shoes for me while I was laying on the floor hovering over a toilet bowl asleep. Chris and Derek pulled me out and took me to the car. I was told I got sick getting into the car but managed to make it home.

Fast forward - I remember waking up to Chris snoring nearby, and being on the bathroom floor of my apartment with a blanket and pillow. My poor friends had no idea that when I feel sick I like to sleep in the bathroom, so they said they fought me for awhile before giving up and just letting me sleep there.

Needless to say I didn't win that game, but they played on and had a good night. To this day it's one of my most, or in this case least, memorable college stories! Next time I'll tell you about the one and only time I tried pot - and the same group tried to play Pictionary. Oh I was a real treat in college!

Writer's Workshop

Eli update

2011-12-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

I'm 29 weeks now. Only 10 more weeks to go. We got to set our repeat c-section date last week, we picked February 15, 2012. So 2.15.12. Not bad, but I am still secretly hoping my water breaks and he decides to come on 2.12.12. A girl can dream can't she?

I've started to gain a bit more weight, I'm still only up a total of 11lbs in 7 months. Kris' family all said at Thanksgiving that I look "small" this time. I guess that's a good thing, I do feel like I'm a bit smaller even though I'm at a heavier weight.

26 weeks pic - new one next week

I failed my 1 hour Glucose test, so yesterday I took the 3 hour test. Everyone complains about it, but frankly it was a nice break for me. They put me in a room with a black reclining rocker and dim lights and told me to just read or sleep the time away. Didn't have to tell me twice, I enjoyed 3 hours of quiet time! I hope I passed, but if I failed then we will deal with it. Either way, just having to deal with this has really given me a kick in the butt. After Eli is born I really need to get back on WW and lose the weight. Like seriously lose weight, I have 100lbs I can easily lose, 115 would be a nice touch though, that would put me at about 155. So yeah you will all need to really motivate me. I need to be a better size so I have energy to keep up with my boys!

I'm still feeling pretty good, most days. Some days I'm a lot more uncomfortable, but that's to be expected at this point. I have been having some insomnia though, so I have no moved on from Tylenol PM to trying Unisom. It does seem to help a lot to get me to fall asleep. Eli is a very active little guy, Aiden felt him kick the other day. His face was priceless, he kept telling daddy "mommy's baby felt hand" aka I felt mommy's baby on my hand. He also kept telling Kris to touch my tummy to feel baby. It was a very sweet moment.

Writer's Workshop

2011-12-07T08:12:00.001-08:00

1.) Have you decorated your Christmas tree? Share a favorite Christmas ornament.

Have I decorated my tree - what a silly question! It's been up for a month now!

As far as my favorite ornament? That's really tough. Every year we each get a new one on Christmas eve to put on the tree. It's always something that sums up that year, for you personally. Like this year Aiden is getting a Toy Story one because he's in love with Toy Story. The year Aiden was born I got a washing machine that actually lights up and "spins" because I'd never done soo much laundry in my life!

I think the one ornament that will always be special to me though is the "Our 1st Christmas" from the year Kris and I got married. I don't know why we picked the one we did, but it's just super cute. It's 2 little "smore" people toasting each other. My favorite part is that they are holding little stick hands in the back.

Annoying

2011-11-28T08:34:00.001-08:00

Ever have those days where little things just annoy that crap out of you? I'm having one of those today. Perhaps its thanks to hormones or pregnancy insomnia, or waking up at 512am. Whatever the cause its 830am and im about to go crazy.My husband wakes up and finally joins us after sleeping an extra 3 hours... That's #1. Then he opens and eats 2 nature valley oat and honey bars... The crunching sound ia awful... That's #2. Then he decides to eat a bowl of cereal. Again, more loud crunching... That's #3. He isn't a cereal milk drinker so he dumped a full bowl of milk. Such a waste to me, I can't stand wasting... That's #4. I wonder how many more things will annoy me today....

Oh Adam Levine.

2011-11-20T09:55:00.001-08:00

You make me lose my mind. I mean, I'm sorry, my husband is sexy to me, very sexy indeed. And I love his body and smile and all that jazz... but Adam Levine... well I think he's my celebrity weakness.

How can you not find him sexy? I have loved Maroon 5 since I first heard them. I love how all their songs have sexual lyrics, but are so catchy some people don't even realize what they are singing. That makes me giggle. I mean, they really are dirty sometimes.

Along came the show The Voice and my mom and I were beyond excited. I mean, not only do we get to watch a great show, but we get a regular dose of Adam looking all sexy and his coy smile and his sense of humor is right up my alley. Oh, hubby, I'm soo sorry, but I can't stop thinking about Adam's sexiness.

I am in a mood today, let's blame pregnancy hormones mmky? I thought I'd share a little Adam love with you ladies... You Are Welcome!

26 Weeks.

2011-11-18T09:49:00.001-08:00

Well Eli is coming along very quickly. I can't believe that in less than 13 weeks our little boy will be here. At my next appointment at 28 weeks we get to set my c-section date. I'm really excited to actually have a date set.

I haven't been craving anything. Bagels and cream cheese and yogurt are constants in my diet, but nothing has really taken over my mind. Sleep is getting worse, my hips really ache at night so I spend half the night rolling from side to side. I can still sleep on my stomach with a leg up as long as I have a bunch of pillows. I have started taking Tylenol every night which helps a little.

I did pull my round ligament muscle on the weekend. That was painful! It took a few days to loosen up, I pretty much lived laying down with a heating pad on me. Eli moves around a lot, he hasn't settled into head down yet, some days I feel a lot of kicks up high, others like last night were down low.

The pregnancy clumsiness has really set in. I broke 2 plates this week already. Also yesterday I ran the dryer again to "fluff" the clothes and then asked Kris to fold them. Turns out there was no laundry in there. I swore I did laundry. I guess not.

WW: New Bedding

2011-11-16T11:03:00.001-08:00

Thank YOU Pinterest!

2011-11-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

I haven't even finished eating my lunch and I HAVE to share it with you. It is to die for, I feel like I ordered something from a fancy restaraunt. Inspired by the pin below, I made my own today....

Here is how MINE looks....DELISH

Source: anediblesymphony.blogspot.com via Kerri on Pinterest

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Aiden's allergist told us that since only peanuts came up if we wanted to introduce other nuts that was okay, but we should be consistent with it. He said almond butter {a family favorite of ours anyway} was a good option so long as we made sure Aiden had some on a weekly basis to keep him accustomed to it. Enter Barney butter. It was his suggestion for a 100% peanut free almond butter, a bit pricey at $7.99 a jar, but look at the results.... Such a hit! He keeps going into the pantry and getting it and a spoon and asking for "pebub bubber". We are working on him calling it Almond butter, but for now I'm just one happy momma!

{ps - sorry for the crappy cell pictures}

Deck The Halls...

2011-11-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

Oh you better believe it.... Halloween is over, I have no decorations for "fall" or "thanksgiving", so it's right to Christmas for me! I always have waited until the day after Thanksgiving to put Christmas things up, but this year I'm pregnant and wanting the house to feel homey... or so that's my excuse!

The tree is up, the mantel will be decorated and the lights will be strung up around the windows. I've been listening to Christmas music all week too. :) And the best part... I'm not alone! My momma has done a bit of decorating too!

Fall Fun

2011-11-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Eww Yucky!

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween

2011-11-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

"Tick or Teet"

Pin it and share it... "Taco Casserole"

2011-11-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to add new recipes to our meal menu, and finally found the perfect chance. Katie @ Bower Power is having a pinterest challenge of sorts. Pin something, make it, and then share it!

So here we go. I found a recipe that I knew would be a hit with us, the original poster called it "Mexican casserole",I pinned it HERE, but I have my own version of a Mexican casserole, so I will be calling this one "Taco casserole" instead.
The recipe was super easy, and really quick! Here is the recipe from the original poster, blog chef.....

Mexican Casserole

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes

image above from blog chef

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 (1 ¼ ounce) package taco seasoning
1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups Colby jack cheese
1 cup salsa
1 (2 1/3 ounce) can sliced black olives (drained)
1 tomato (chopped)
2 cups corn chips (crushed)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large skillet brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions by adding the amount of water stated on the package. Set aside. Heat refried beans in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until hot. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and 1 cup of salsa. Stir until combined.
Step 2: Place crushed corn chips onto the bottom of an 8×8” casserole dish. Pour the bean mixture over the chips in the casserole dish. Add taco meat on top of the bean mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top of the taco meat. Sprinkle green onions and black olives over the cheese.
Step 3: Bake in the oven at 375 degrees until the cheese has melted and the casserole is heated through. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with chopped tomatoes.
Yield: (4 Servings)

How MINE turned out

I did a few things different, for example I added the tomatoes and olives before baking and topped with sour cream and diced avocados when serving. Also, I buy the 5lb logs of hamburger and come home and separate and preground each pound. So for this recipe all I had to do was dump my preground hamburger in the pan to warm up and I added the taco seasonings well it reheated. Saved a bit of time.

All in all, I loved this. It will be on our regular menu for sure. Hope you all enjoy it too!

Want to see what others did this week? Head over to join in at the Bower Power Pinterest Challenge!

15 things you may not know about me...

2011-10-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

15 things you may not know about me.

1.   I have met Scott Hamilton, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Sorbo, Jamie Kennedy and Stone Philllips. Most importantly though was Vanilla Ice!

2. . I can't live without peppermint coffee with peppermint creamer in the winter.

3. . My weight has been my worst struggle, I've dealt with eating disorders and been as small as a size 6 in 2007 to a size 20-22 now. Size 10-12 is my goal.

4.  . I still listen to NKOTB. And Nsync often.

5. . If I drink hard alcohol my face are Gin and Tequila... Most people hate both!

6.   I love snow storms.

7.   I live in yoga pants and sweats. I wish I had a pair for everyday.

8. I feel the need every month to redecorate or rearrange things in my house. I'm never satisfied.

9.   Everyone wanted Eli to be a girl and thought he was, I always had a feeling in my gut he was another boy.

10. . I skipped Kindergarten.

11. I have never been out of North America.

12.   I don't have a passport either.

13. . I used to dream of having my own magazine, I wish I would have further pursued it.

14.   I'm a nervous pooper.

15.   I did the post so my mom wouldn't pester me to blog.

Eli has Club Foot

2011-10-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

We went to a perinatal dr. today and it was confirmed that baby Eli will be born with club feet. It is isolated, so there are no other signs of problems, his heart is great etc. His sweet little feet will go through a long process of casts, possible minor surgery, and special booted shoes and braces. It is completely correctable though and it will not affect his future at all. Matter of fact many great athletes {Troy Aikman, Mia Hamm & Kristi Yamaguchi} were born with club foot and you'd never know.

Here are some pictures of his sweet feet to explain further.

Eli's profile - 21 weeks

Eli's right foot - turned inward towards his left foot

Eli's left foot - turned inward at the ankle

My favorite picture: The bottom of Eli's right foot - you can see little foot wrinkles!

He's almost 2!

2011-10-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that this brand new baby is now a 2 year old! Wow, time flys.... and now it's time to start all over again with Eli!

Almost 2....

20 weeks and possible Club Feet for Eli

2011-10-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

So we had our 20 week appointment yesterday, included in that was our anatomy scan. Most everything looked good, I've gained my first 5lbs, blood pressure is fine etc. Eli seems to be growing nice and strong, he was kicking up a storm. He was sucking his thumb, kept using his other hand to shield his face. However, there was a slight concern brought up.

The sonographer could not a good shot of Eli's feet. What she did see however had her concerned that he may have club feet. Of course we are unsure, and no matter what the results are we will deal with them. Thankfully club feet is something that can be completely corrected using massage, wrapping, casts and special shoes and braces.

We were given information to see a high risk specialist, we have an appointment for next Wednesday. It's going to be a long 3 hour appointment while they completely redo the anatomy scan, inspect his feet and do an fetal echocardiogram to be safe. Then we have a consult with a perinatal specialist.

I will admit I was scared yesterday, very scared. I cried a lot and thought of all the bad things. Today I am feeling a bit more clear headed about it. It's not the end of the world, Eli will live a perfectly normal and happy life. I even did some research and discovered that Troy Aikman, Mia Hamm and Kristi Yamaguchi all had club feet and all went on to be star athletes. Very encouraging.

So keep us in your thoughts next week as we go back to find out the answers. I will be sure to post how everything turns out when I can.

In other Eli news it appears his nose is more round than we thought, perhaps it will turn out like Kris' and Aiden's after all! I hope so!

Amy Butler's Weekender Bag as a Diaper Bag??

2011-10-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

Okay ladies, give me some opinions please. A lot of my crafty friends have been making the Amy Butler Weekender Bag and I am getting into the hype.

How do you think it would do as a diaper bag for Eli? I would add some pockets into the liner on the inside to help with a bit more organization. My mom suggested maybe adding an elastic loop or two that bottles would fit into. Hmm, the possibilities.

If you've made this bag, is it a really hard process? Did you use the home dec weight fabric or something else?

Mom's 50th!

2011-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

This month was mom's 50th birthday. The Big 5-0! She didn't seem to upset about it though. My goal was to make her feel special. She is always doing things for everyone else and I wanted to make sure someone did something for her!

She is always borrowing my Coach purses after I get a new one, so it was high time she had one of her own!

I am actually jealous of her purse, if I'm being honest. I feel in love with it when I saw it. Of course I also loved it because I knew SHE would...

It's not the best picture, but if you can't tell it is this pale grey patent leather. With a pink silk lining. Love it.

Next I worked with her coworkers on her actual birthday to decorate her cubicle and then we all went out to lunch. Of course she was sang to. Even today, 9 days later, she is still finding some confetti at work.

I put confetti in her files, her desk drawers, work notebooks, everywhere!

This is mom's "I'm embarrassed" expression.

Then after she thought all her surprises were done, the weekend after her birthday I put together a some lunch for family and one of her closest friends. Again she was very surprised and got sang to!

All and all, I think it was a very successful birthday for her. Of course, she would be been more than thrilled with just the purse! I told her to just expect a card next year. :)

Wednesday Randoms

2011-09-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

So I have a lot of random things to say, and well, this is my place to say them!

- Anyone else think the new show "Up All Night" sucks? I was so excited to watch this show, because on the previews Kris and I could 100% relate! I mean, arguing over who was awake all night, and begging the other to take a turn. The reality is, the show is a dud. I don't think it's really that funny and I don't plan to keep watching it. Sad story.

- "Whitney" on the other hand cracks me up!

- Out of nowhere lately I have been concerned about breast cancer. My biological sperm donors {you know, the douche bag} mom has had breast cancer 2 times. It didn't really bother me before, but lately all this breast cancer awareness has been on my mind. I used to worry that I may not be able to have kids, clearly God has proven to me that is not a concern, I've been blessed. Now I worry that these size 42E ladies on my chest {yes, crazy size isn't it?} will cause me trouble in the future. Kris told me last night that it wouldn't be a problem, and if it was he has had 2 aunts go through it and he would be here for me and love me no matter what. Now I don't feel so bad, but I can't shake this strange concern.

- I've been craving peanut butter lately. We went peanut free in our house, completely that is, a month ago. Now Eli and I are really wanting some PB. I think I'm going to need to break down and hide a jar.

- How is it that Aiden can lay down at noon almost daily this week and fall asleep on the couch and take a nice 2-3 hour nap and yet he won't lay down and go to bed at night? Goodness it is driving me insane!

- The Percy Jackson and The Olympians book series is WONDERFUL! I love it. I had seen the movie and decided to try the books since I have 13 left to read this year. No doubt I will finish the 6 really quickly.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well ti's been a long time since I did wordless wednesday, so I thought I'd overload you with pictures...

Aiden's new "fade" haircut from Daddy

Eating "Happy" aka grandpas cheesecake

Aiden loves playing potato heads, and I taught him to put the mouths in his own!

Before haircut - he found my heels for the first time!

Christmas Quilt

2011-09-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

So I'm a bit behind, no big surprise there. I bought some clearance 12 Days of Christmas fabric, by Kate Spain, last year and now my mind is racing with ideas. It may not be July, but it's gonna start looking like Christmas here for me!
Here are the fabrics I have....

I am thinking of using the red, green and cream fabrics to make a zig zag quilt with a lot of white around it. Much like the image below, but with only 3 large zig zags in the middle and white above and below them. More similar to the 2nd image....

I think I will use the blue for the binding? Not sure, but it isn't the same print, so it's a sad outsider. Not sure what I am going to do for the back yet. I think I will end up zig zag quilting it, so I want something that is the same angle. I may do a few large sporadically placed diamonds of each color and mostly white on the back.

inspiration pictures both via FITF

So what are your thoughts, opinions? Got any great examples to share with me? Would you do a solid binding of the red to add more christmas feel to it? Or sporadic stars on the back? I want it to be simple, but really stand out.

Sewing Again!

2011-09-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

I finally got a small space carved out in our new place for my sewing machine. My hubby brought me a small table from his parents house and we made some space next to his desk in the dining room. I plan to get a couple ikea shelves up above the desk in order to make it look a bit more put together. I was thinking of putting some mason jars with scraps in them, you know one for each color of the rainbow.

Here is my little corner so far. I can't wait to get started sewing again!

On my small design wall I have started laying out Eli's baby quilt. It is Lily and Will and I just love it. The back is still a mystery. It will either be a solid brown cuddle soft fabric, or I'm going to try my hand a a faux chenille back.

18 Weeks.

2011-09-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

Only 21 weeks to go! Don't question my math.... {repeat csection}

Our big news this week is that we are ready to share Eli's full name... It will be Eli Xavier. We really love it, and when we first suggested it we knew it was perfect.

I am really starting to feel pregnant in the last week. Been out of breathe after walking for a while, out of breath after going up stairs. Feeling a bit off balance and getting very clumsy. I have also felt Eli move around just a little bit. It's different this time around though. With Aiden I had an anterior placenta. So that means my placenta was against my stomach and Aiden was hiding behind it. So the feelings I got with him early on felt like a goldfish flopping around. With Eli my placenta is in the back and Eli is front and center. So when I have started to feel him move around it's more like full movement. Like someone is doing flips in there. It's been interesting to me to see the difference. Again I haven't felt him much yet, just a random here or there, mostly at night and when my bladder is full. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will start to really feel him move around.

I haven't really had craving with Eli. I mean something might sound good, but it's not this strong urge! However, some foods either taste really good, or really boring or bad to me. The other night I made tuna helper, simple, but something we usually enjoy once in a while. It tasted awful to me. Then I kept burping and tasting it. Oh so bad. The next night we had plain ol' spaghetti and meatballs and I could not get enough of it. So that has been interesting. I'm drinking coffee again, but it's still not tasting as satisfying as it used to. The one things i'm constantly enjoying is a chicken cup of noodles and string cheese lol. With Aiden I ate chicken ramen like everyday. :)

Sleep hasn't been too bad yet either. Once we finally get Aiden to sleep I usually sleep okay and only get up about 2-3x a night.

Eli is about 5.7inches and almost 7oz. That size of a sweet potato so I have read. He's getting big and I can't believe we are nearly halfway through already. Until this week I have nearly forgotten I was even pregnant some days!

My Master To-Do List:

2011-09-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind on a lot of things in life lately. I decided I needed to hold myself accountable, so here is my master to-do list:

Sewing:
- Mom's quilt
- Eli's quilt using Bunny Hill - Lily and Will prints
- Christmas quilt
- Christmas tree skirt?
- Kaleidoscope quilt
- Baby girl quilt - gift to Mallory?

House Stuff:
- Unpack that last bathroom box - you know the one with stuff you never actually use?
- Go through the boxes that are probably full of stuff to donate to goodwill or just throw away
- Buy shelves for living room wall so I can unpack my decorative stuff
- Buy a frame so I can hang my odd shaped collage photo
- Figure out what to hang above our bed

Baby Stuff:
- Exchange the girl bedding @ Ikea for the boy one that matches Aiden's {yeah we were hoping for a girl and bought it "just in case"}
- Decide if/when we are going to share Eli's middle name
- Buy crib/changer @ Ikea
- Eventually sort through Aiden's preemie and newborn/3 month clothes and wash
- Buy wood name letters for wall and paint
- Paint rocking chair and bookshelf white
- Register @ hospital
- Do small registry for things like diapers and formula
- Decide on small family shower? Mostly because I know people will expect at least a small celebration. Just for things like diapers/wipes/formula.

Aiden Stuff:
- Decide on Halloween costume to buy or make
- Work on 2nd Bday party stuff {solidify food and decorations}
- Buy paint and repaint his name letters for the wall
- Decide on bday gift
- Decide on Christmas gifts/Santa gift
- Find stuffed animal hanging corner net for animals

Whew... That's a lot of things on my mind. No wonder it takes me forever to fall asleep. I am sure that's not all either. But at least now I have a list to look at!

I'M BACK!! LONG UPDATE POST

2011-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I hope this time to keep up with blogging again. A lot has happened in the last 5 weeks and I've just had little time to sit and do anything for myself.

We moved into an apartment of our own again. It feels so nice to have a place to call "home". I have slowly unpacked, still have a few stray boxes here and there, and hung photos and tried to really make things cozy. I will try and post pictures eventually.

I haven't sewn a damn thing in like 2 months. I had no energy at all during my first trimester and since moving 2 weeks ago I have no desk to put my sewing machine on. This of course will soon be solved as I have the Kaleidoscope quilt to finish, a baby quilt for Baby E, my moms quilt which she nags me about weekly, and I might be paid to make someone a quilt for Christmas. So hopefully this will still be a somewhat sewing blog!

I have to stop and telling you that Aiden is sitting on the floor reading a book to himself, and he has heard it soo much he is able to say the right words "touch your nose" while on the right page. It's beyond adorable.

Okay so the big news in the last 5 weeks is about Baby E. We have had some great appointments, I have still not gained a single pound in 4 months, which makes me beyond thrilled. I knew being heavy would pay off eventually! My body seems to using my extra weight, which is healthy for me instead of gaining another 50lbs. I'm sure before the baby comes I'll put on some weight, Lord knows I'm eating enough to be gaining, but my dr. and I are both very satisfied right now.

Hmm... gender? Yes, we know. We were all very shocked to learn we are having ANOTHER BOY! Yep, another boy. I thought for sure it was a girl, but if I'm honest here, my mother's instincts kept telling me it might be a boy. I think I just ignored it. :) We are very excited though, and I am getting used to saying "my boys!". It will make things a lot easier too, we have all of Aiden's clothes, which up until about 12 months, are in great condition. Having the boys share a room will be fun, plus much easier to decorate!

Name? We are still very much in love with the name Eli. We have been considering different middle names, and think we finally agreed on one last week, but I am not ready to share it yet. We love it, but my mom doesn't know the name yet so I can't post it here! I don't know when we will spill the middle name, but it's kind of fun saying it to ourselves and keeping a little secret. So no mom, don't bother to call me after you read this and ask what it is. Hehe, in time we will share, but Kris and I are still "trying it out" and are having fun having it special just between us.

Kris is still looking for a job, but has had a few good leads. He applied to a cable company, much like who he worked for when Aiden was born. He loved that job, and the pay was wonderful. They are really busy and hiring a lot, they keep telling him they are interested in him but haven't been able to sit down and do more hiring yet. To just be patient. So fingers crossed.... it would be a prayer answered.

I think for now that is a long enough update for you all. If there is anyone left waiting around to read my blog that is. I hope to have my readers around still, I loved you all and will try to make it to your pages to say hi shortly.

12 weeks and life update

2011-08-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well here I am, a horrible blogger. I don't care though, I know my mom does, but I'm just worn out and busy!

Aiden has been very difficult lately. He's hitting the terrible twos early, maybe a growth spurt cuz he's eating a ton? We are moving at the end of the month to a two bedroom apartment, thanks to my mom, and he might sense the change? Whatever it is, it's tough. All day he goes between sweet little boy to throwing tantrums and hitting {someone or himself!}. I know this too shall pass but i'm losing my mind.

Oh and is it normal he is REFUSING sleep at night? Like he screams, and throws himself on the floor, hits his head of the floor, either lays in the crib kicking it and screaming or climbs out and runs to his lolo and lola's room to be "rescued". Not to mention the last 3 nights he doesn't want to sleep in his crib. He wants to sleep on the futon, and he wants me with him! So that is crappy.

In other news, baby E is doing great. Today we had our 12 week appointment and had a scare. My dr. couldn't find the heartbeat! I was soo scared, but the ultrasound tech found baby squirming around right away. Heartbeat completely normal at 159. So now we know we got another handful on the way!

Here is a picture....

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Washing the car with Daddy

Toddler Woes

2011-07-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Oh lord, I'm a zombie. Aiden was sleeping pretty well for a long time. He would take 1 nap a day, go to bed by 7 and get up at 5 or 6. Fine with me! Then it became wake up once at 11pm and sleep until 6. Okay, still manageable. I would just kind of wait up until 11 and then go to bed.

Not so lucky anymore. The nap time was getting shorter, 45-1hr and he would ask for milk and a nap later in the day, so we let him. Then he started waking up more at night so we cut out that extra nap again. It didn't seem to help. Let me give you an example of last night....

7pm:     went to bed great.
11pm:    woke up
238am: woke up
309am: still hadn't gone back to sleep, so after playing quietly he now was yelling again
338am: woke up again? Or never really went to sleep?
406am: woke up again.
6am:      Aiden woke up for the day - Kris got him and I slept 3 extra hours.

Now seriously - this is just not okay! On a normal night I can predict that I will get up at 11, 230, and again at 5 which I try to convince him to sleep another hour.

It will be my luck this continues and I have a newborn who likes to wake up at 10, 130 and 4. I will get NO sleep between the two of them! As it is now I have a hard time falling back to sleep after waking up. I have to pee "just one more time", then drink water, then try to get comfortable enough to try and fall asleep - then bam, he's waking up again within the hour! It's killing me. Last night I was awake from 230-4 because I could barely sleep in between his waking.

Okay, I have to admit something now, and I am ashamed of it. We use a bottle still. Yep, he's coming up on 22 months old and should have been gone long ago - but mommy uses it as a crutch. He drinks his milk, then gives kisses and goes to sleep. So my problem is probably all my own fault, he wants milk before he sleeps again during the night. See - I dug my own darn grave!

We tried letting him cry it out a few times, and the time we were serious about it it worked for like a month. He was sleeping from 7-7 without waking up! Then that fell apart and now it's harder to let him cry it out because he doesn't cry and fuss - he freaks out and SCREAMS at the top of his lungs which wakes everyone up. Living with family makes it a bit tough to let him cry. So this is why I use the bottle still - to keep the peace. Everyone gets sleep. Except now he is starting to bite the nipples {he's been 100% rid of binkies for a month and half now for this reason} and so we really know it's time to get rid of the bottle!

He will drink milk during the day from a cup. He will drink regular and strawberry milk. He will even take it from a sippy half the time during the day if I try. But at night time if I try a sippy to put him down he refuses it and cries. I am dreading just taking the bottles away cold turkey.

So to wrap up my woes - he's still using a bottle, he's not sleeping all that well at night, and I'm a zombie. *sigh*

In other news, he's getting more smart everyday. Multiple new words a day, he copies everything, he has figured out he can reach almost anything if he uses his chair. He has peed on the potty a bit, even saying "sit potty" sometimes, but that's just practice for now still.

In closing Kathy Lee Gifford just said on the Today show "I have not slept one night through since my kids were born 22 years ago" - I feel like I will be just like that.

10 Weeks.

2011-07-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Baby's now the size of a prune or a kumquat!With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will start working too.)

Well let's see here. No new morning sickness, it's been such a relief to not be sick this time around. I am still pretty exhausted, but Kris has worked out a deal with me and I get to sleep in an extra 3 hours in the am. It seems to make a world of difference. I still lack energy to sew or do anything too productive, but that will come back in time.

My face is breaking out like crazy, I feel awful about how it looks, but I know it's all because of the sweet baby growing inside me and this too shall pass. I got a new pair of maternity jeans yesterday and it feels great to at least have something new that fits well.

Next appointment isn't until week 12.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T20:35:00.001-07:00

Head is on the bottom. Due date is 2.21.12

I miss my sewing machine

2011-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, I'm sorry for the lack of posts. I don't think anyone has even noticed, except for my mother of course. This first trimester is really kicking my butt. I'm always exhausted. Even now I am laying in bed resting and yawning while Aiden naps.

I haven't really been sick, only gotten sick on 2 different occasions. That's a big difference from when I was pregnant with Aiden. My face has broken out like crazy though. I had some acne with Aiden but this baby is sure stealing my beauty like the old wives tales suggest with a girl.

As soon as I get up in the am we watch Oso while I try to get food in me asap so I don't get dizzy. Then when Aiden goes down for a nap instead of sewing like usual I tend to nap too. I just have no energy to sew or do anything productive. I did manage to cut some fabric for my Kaleidoscope QAL but I haven't sewn anything. In the evening I crash almost immediately after Aiden does. Coffee isn't tasting good anymore, so that doesn't even help.

Anyway, all this to say I'm sorry. There is no new sewing updates this week, but hopefully after this first trimester passes I will be back in the full swing of things.

A trip to the ER

2011-07-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

I knew one was coming. I mean I had a toddler, who is a boy, who is almost 2. A trip to the ER was inevitable. This trip was brought on by a boy who loves to smell like his daddy.

Aiden enjoys putting on deodorant like everyone else does. So if you hand him one he will life his arm and do what he thinks is putting some on. We all get the giggles and he is happy. For awhile now he had one of his dad's old sticks, Old Spice as that becomes important later, and there wasn't much left on it. It was at the point where you could see the little dial that twists the gel up. He enjoyed pretend playing and putting it on himself and you.

Well this turned out to be a not so smart move on our part. The other day I caught him with little blue gel pieces all over, it was on his shirt, his hands, the futon in his room and of course - in his mouth! I yelled, I finger swiped, and I thought I got it all. Of course he did smell really strong all afternoon!

I didn't call poison control because I didn't think he ingested much and because I had called previously for dish soap {by previously I do mean months ago} and they said kids get into stuff all the time and for most things you can just push fluids and expect a little diarrhea and maybe a little vomiting. So I just figured soup was worse than deo and he would be fine. He seemed alright anyway.

Wrong. 3 hours later and Kris is feeding him dinner, out of nowhere he starts puking. Not just a little either. Like on the floor, himself, his Lola, the sofa, his table. The puking wouldn't stop. It wasn't just the puking either, he was acting like his chest hurt and his throat hurt. Not just the typical little kid who pukes and doesn't understand what is going on either. We've had him get sick before.

So off to the ER we go. He proceeds to throw up in the small exam room where they just check vitals and symptoms. Then in the actual kids place in the ER he puked again. We finally get called back into a kids patient room {and I must say as slow as this hospital is with adults, they got the kids cleared out in 5 minutes and into rooms - kudos to them!}. He was puking all down Kris in the room again too. They called Poison control and guess what we all learned... Old Spice had a high alcohol content.

So the alcohol was making his poor chest and throat burn when he threw up. Also they were concerned with obviously how much he ingested and about keeping his blood sugar level. First step was they gave him some Zofran. After about 10 minutes he stopped puking and we got him calmed down some. Winnie the pooh got put on and he was given a Popsicle to help him.

He played with the sink and the soap, the bed, a rubber glove, the computer monitor, the spinning thingy on the wall, and he found a cupboard he could hide in. He also said "Mommy, daddy - go!" and pointed to the door. He was ready to go.

The doctor came back in and because he was perking up a bunch and he kept down some water and a Popsicle they sent us home after an hour of watching him. He turned out fine, went to sleep when we got in and was back to himself in the morning.

Kris and I felt awful though, we now keep joking, after the fact of course, that we got Aiden drunk on Old Spice before he was even 2. Come to think of it he did act really tipsy after the Zofran kicked in... lol

4th of July

2011-07-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

Aiden LOVED the 4th this year. He got to see his uncle Brock, or as he calls him "Bock" - you know, like the sound a chicken makes? lol Anyway, he follows him around like a little shadow, I'm glad he's going to be home for 3 weeks!

Okay, back to the 4th. We spent the day with my family and had a nice family meal, we went to the pool which Aiden just loves and just enjoyed being together. In the evening we went to my in-laws house to have a impromptu BBQ and fireworks. Kris' cousin always buys at least $100 in some illegal fireworks. It's always a big treat around here.

I wouldn't say the men in this family are very fire conscience though. Fireworks just get lit on a piece of plywood on the grass in the backyard, you know, so all the sparks go into the trees and fall around us. Thankfully we got lucky again this year and there are only 2 small burnt spots in the yard.

We had the big huge firework show type fireworks and Aiden loved them but kept covering his ears. There was one that was extremely loud and he started yelling at his dad saying "bad, daddy" because he got upset over it. Too funny.

He enjoyed the little sparklers, even held one on his own, with very close adult supervision of course, and liked all the little popper ones that you do on the ground. Like the fountain ones.

It was a nice family spent day, and we all were tucked in bed nice and late that night.

Wordless Wednesday (a day early so I don't forget!)

2011-07-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

My brother is home, for 3 weeks! Here he is on the 4th of July. Showing of his newly pierced ears!

A post for my mom. Baby Week 7

2011-07-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Here we are week 7. So far I'm still feeling pretty good. I did get sick once last week, but that has been it. I am now drinking less, to almost no coffee. I got to this point with Aiden too, where my beloved coffee just tastes bad to me. Then in a couple months I'll be fine and drinking it daily again. I'm also feeling dizzy/faint more often, so I'm now taking my cool showers again. In this 85* degree heat it sure feels refreshing. I'm still craving fruit a lot, but not much else. Perhaps some chips and salsa, I did go on a binge the other day. Oh I guess I also had Brussels sprouts and watermelon for lunch last week, that was a bit odd too - at least it's healthy!

The baby this week is, as you can see, the size of a blueberry. Here is what the bump says about baby this week:

Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

Next week is our first appointment and ultrasound. We hope to only see one heartbeat, but who knows. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Watching OSO

WIP {Work-In-Progress} Wednesday

2011-06-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

This week I made 2 adorable little purses. It was my first time doing pleats and I love them! It was a fun quick complete.

I cut all my Soul Blossom & Love fabric for my Kaleidoscope QAL. I have been playing with the layout on my design wall. At first I thought it was extremely overwhelming, but it's growing on me though. What do you think? Sorry for the horrible light and blur, gotta love camera phones sometimes.

I also started working on the Sweet Divinity Baby Girl Quilt. It's just simple and simply adorable. I'm gonna keep it under wraps a bit longer though, I can't decide if it will be gifted yet.

Lastly I had a huge brainstorm moment this week and came up with a handful of future quilt ideas. A lot of them, most of them actually, are based some some bits of fabric I currently have. I am adding them on here so I can keep track of them all! They are listed below.

In-Progress:
Kaleidoscope QAL - I have all cutting done, waiting on sewing instructions.
Sweet Divinity Baby Girl Quilt

Future Projects:
Used to be Mini-Pinwheel quilt has been put aside for now.
Lily & Will baby quilt for Baby E
Mom's dutch girl quilt
Dick & Jane quilt Blogged my Inspiration HERE
Brock's Greens and Gray bed quilt for Christmas
Christmas tree skirt
Christmas quilt
Red/White/Black quilt
Sorbet quilt - as in the ice cream colors below....

Completed: 2 purses
Actively working on: Kaleidoscope QAL & Sweet Divinity Quilt

Bachelorette Tuesday

2011-06-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

I Love how she is SHOCKED that Bentley flew all the way to Hong Kong to talk to her. Yeah, why wouldn't a douche take a free trip on her expense just to break her heart again?!?

This conversation is really awkward. He's leading her on all over again. Him touching her leg, giggling with her. Talking about her and him being on the same page. Not even in the same book, or side of the library for that matter! He's in the comics and she's in the drama section! "Knowing that I'm home it doesn't look good for us. I would implore you to see what you have here". What a wishy washy way about it. I agree with her, just be a damn man and say "no I don't like you!". I hate him. He says to call it a period for them but then has this cheesy smirk on his face.

Thank goodness he's done. I can't handle hearing about him again!

Lucas: The resident hillbilly. He's cute though. Why does Ashley wear shoes like those when she is walking all over downtown. She really is not fashion smart. She could have worn some super cute flats. Aww he wants to dance with her. He asked for the kiss, he really is a southern gentlemen.

Group Date: Dragon Boat Races. Recruiting people from the streets? That seems a bit harsh, what is that supposed to prove to her? Once they actually started racing I thought that looked fun. Rowing is hard work though. HAHA OH MY GOSH - the red team's chant mean "Idiot" instead of "eat it". Oh wow, language barrier for Ben and Constantine! Ames stealing kisses in the Elevator, he's growing on me too. Stupid Ryan P got the group date rose.

JP: I love how confident JP is. He just feels like he is meant to be with her. That's what someone needs to have on a show like this. Plus I like him and he's been my top pick from the first episode. I appreciate her wanting to tell JP first and alone, he deserves that because he's such a good guy, but that sucks for him.

Cocktail Party/Rose Ceremony: I love how she just tells them soo excitedly and expects a good response from the guys. She really dug herself a big hole. Mickey says goodbye. Bravo to him. He is right, honesty is important and by hiding the fact that she was still thinking of Bentley she was lying. She wasn't being HONEST. Here is a tip Ashley - if you feel guilty, maybe you have a reason to. So after a good heart to heart and a few more tears with Chris Harrison, she made her choice. Blake went home this week.

I am still sticking with JP as my top pick, i pegged him night 1 and I'm feeling good about it still. I'm still saying Ben F and then Ames lastly for now...

Fabric Tuesday

2011-06-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

This week I tried my hand at something new. A little purse. The Buttercup Purse by Made By Rae. It's a free online pattern too, I just love when people are willing to share such greatness without making me pay for it.

I made one and loved how simple it was, so I made another and plan to make many more for gifts! My mom saw it and stole the first purse, glad it found a home, she's been getting compliments on it all day!
First time doing pleats and I must say they were a cinch! Love them!

2nd bag with Soul Blossoms scraps.

beyond tired and quilt idea overload!

2011-06-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

I am exhausted! I don't remember being so tired last time. I was awake 1hr45mins and then took and hour nap so far today. Geez.

On the other hand I am having a major quilt idea overload. I can't stop thinking of new ideas. I posted about my upcoming dick and Jane quilt this weekend.

I'm working on my kaleidoscope qal and a baby girl quilt. I saw a stack of red, black and white fat quarters on my shelf and now have visions of a quilt in those colors. Im still trying to figure out how to organize my moms Dutch girl/sunbonnet sue quilt. I want to make my brother a greens and ash grey quilt for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas.... I plan to make a square tree skirt and quilt. when I get enough scraps in enough colors I want to do a rainbow quilt.

Also a Sherbet ice cream quilt anyone?

Oh and how could I forget I have some lily and will charm packs and need yardage to make baby E a quilt.

Ive been inspired!

2011-06-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today I went to my local fabric store and they had a big outdoor sale going on. Score. I stumbled on 2 different panels of Dick and Jane fabric that I just HAD to have. I had no idea what I was going to use it for, but it was just calling my name.

Fast forward and I'm googling trying to find some inspiration.... and here it is! All thanks to....

I fell in love with the way she used them and the bright primary colors. I get a "fabric allowance" in the next couple months so I think this will move up on my to-do list. Can't wait to go find some fun prints to coordinate with this.

lets talk baby #2

2011-06-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

So here I am a mere 5 weeks along, yet I am definitely feeling pregnant! I have been having some cramping and pulling, good old uterus growing. My back hurts, a lot actually, which I think is in part to carrying aiden still. I'm trying not to carry Aiden around too much, bit considering I'm the only one who gets up with him at night its a bit unavoidable.

As a side note, yes my almost 21 month old still wakes up once or twice, sometimes five times, a night. For the record we are horrible and he's still on a bottle too. (hangs head in shame).

So this pregnancy has been good so far. Its still early, but no signs of morning sickness yet. I am feeling exhausted and lack energy lately. I am craving fresh fruit again too. I even feel like I'm starting to show. I know its all bloat, but its coming around much sooner this go around.

I am thinking its a girl this time. I just have a feeling. I was right with my gut feeling last time so we shall see. Kris thinks its twins. Oy vey.

From this point forward I'll refer to baby #2 as BABY E. If you haven't noticed my ticker above, we have already agreed on Ellie Rose or Eli Kristoffer for this baby. If Kris is right and its twins our second name picks are Owen and Madeline, just for the record. Neither of my parents like those options, sad story.

WIP {Work-In-Progress} Wednesday

2011-06-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

NEW or COMPLETED: I got some fabric cutting done, and I made 3 scrappy dishtowels to add to my mom's care package for my brother.

WIP: Mini-pinwheel - well here is a big change. It's not a pinwheel quilt anymore! I just don't like the look of the pinwheels on my wall. I have tried and tried, but i don't think I'm a pinwheel lover. *gasp* I'm in the process of trying out new half-square-triangle patterns. I really want the floral print to show off clearly, after all it was the fabric I was given by Kris' grandma. I think I'm going to stick with lines, diagonal lines? Large square repeating lines? Who knows.... any suggestions? I think, assuming I am right and baby E is a girl, this will be her take home from the hospital quilt. So it may not be my favorite fabric, but I think this quilt will be a wonderful keepsake quilt. I just have to find a pattern that makes me love this quilt like i want to!

*GAH* Picture uploaded isn't working, so you will just have to use your imagination when it comes to my fabric and patterns for HST's. Please do make suggestions though!

ON HOLD:
- Kaleidoscope QAL - waiting for further instructions 6/23. Can't WAIT to get cutting into this one TOMORROW!!! I will be doing this all week. Yay.
- Mom's dutch girl quilt
- Mallory's little girl quilt using Sweet Divinity.
Totals Projects: 7
Completed: 3 dishtowels - whoop-di-doo.
Actively working on: Just the "used to be a mini-pinwheel quilt". :)
On-Hold: 3 quilts

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-21T20:34:00.001-07:00

Bachelorette Tuesday

2011-06-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ashley must have heard me complain last week. Today she is wearing a still too short skirt, but she has a fitted top on - bless her for not looking the same everyday. However the strapless capri pantsuit with a belt HAS to go!

Ames said "Pro-Cess" instead of process. Cracked me up.

Ben F: Still need to cut your hair. I can't tell you and Constantine apart half the time. Getting a fan painted is pretty neat, I wouldn't mind being there and doing that. I like Ben F's personality a lot. He is very easy going and doesn't seem to need the thrills of the fancy dates. Plus he's a winemaker so I feel like he's romantic. He proves that during the really beautiful dinner.

Group Date: My husbands cousin does this kind of fighting, Muay Thai. Poor Ames got the pink set, but he wears it well with that large forehead of his. I don't know what made her think that having a bunch of guys who all want the same girl to fight each other would be a good idea. "The Jew from Long Island" - JP - I love what he calls himself. I'm almost a little bit proud of Ames for not fighting back too much. I feel bad he got hit soo hard though, Ryan P should have been a little easier on him when he noticed he wasn't fighting back.

Ames returns during the party, of course. He said he has a mild concussion and "totally in love" classic. She is spending time with Blake, but yet again we have to hear about Bentley. I'm soo tried of hearing about him. Lucas trying to teach her to golf, I like that. He seems fun - but then he goes and actually mentions "he who should not be named EVER again".

Two-On-One: Ben C & William: Dun dun dun. {Side note: have you realized yet I write this as I watch it?} William turned into an ass - and Ben C gets the boot. Then William gets the boot too! Ha - serves his ass right! Anyone who calls themselves a "30 year old boy" doesn't seem like marriage material.

Rose Ceremony: Okay I lied. I can totally tell Ben F. & Constantine apart. Ben F. has potential to be hot, C. has a goofy nose and small spaced eyes - not soo cute. JP sporting a pink shirt, he can pull it off well. Here we go, a heart to heart with Chris about Bentley. Oh whine, whine, whine. Now we are all stuck seeing him again next week. Great.

Nick is the only one sent home this week at the actual ceremony. He wasn't anything special, just a floater.

Okay my top 3 keep switching it up a bit, but my top 2 stay the same. I still say JP. I really like him. Ben F. And maybe a wild card this week, Ames or Lucas? Hmm...

Friday Night Sew In

2011-06-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't get so far on the Friday Night Sew In. I had the best intentions, but getting the kiddo settled in wasn't in the cards for us.

I did manage to make 3 quick impromptu dishtowels and chain sew all my hst's for the mini-pinwheel blanket. I also for those cut. I will take time to iron them tonight. Oh well, I guess some sewing on a Friday night is better than none at all!

My Wedding Ring got cut off....

2011-06-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Such a sad morning. I woke up this morning and my finger was turning a bit purple. I tried Windex to get it off which is what our jeweler does. I tried using string {you wrap it tight on your finger to make it thinner} and still couldn't pull it off. Lotion, soup, cold water - nothing worked! And it was getting more swollen and hurt more.

Off to our AMAZING Kay jeweler Stephen. He cut it off and is going to have it recreated on the back with new white gold. Also he is resizing it.

I have no idea what happened. It was fine, I mean it's always been snug, but the my hands aren't even that swollen at all! My ring finger just was swollen. So I was in complete panic mode and now I have some small cuts on my finger and it's very misshapen from the ring and pulling and such.

Kris said maybe since I'm getting swollen and soo bloated looking and that I got a positive test so soon this time maybe it's all signs of twins... SCARY idea!

Green Fairy Giveaway

2011-06-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the news? Green Fairy Quilts is having a great giveaway. The giveaway is for a fat quarter bundle of Holly Jolly. Love Christmas fabric! It's really easy to enter so go join me!

Not to worry though, if you don't want to go through all the steps of the giveaway there is still something special for you. They are also having a blowout sale on fat quarter bundles. It's 25% off fat quarter bundles, even new releases! The sale goes through Monday.

WIP {Work in Progress} Wedmesday

2011-06-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

Not a lot got done in the sewing department around here this week. I was tired, I was lazy. We went out of town on the weekend. Yada Yada Yada....

I did get all my fabric in for the Kaleidoscope QAL which I shared yesterday. Love and Soul Blossoms by Amy Butler, plus her solid coordinates. I'll take a minute and let you look at that again now.... My favorite part is those 2 pink lines hiding in the middle!

I did start to work a bit more on the mini-pinwheel quilt. I managed to make a little sketch and then pin them together so they are ready for chain sewing. I love doing HST's - soo easy! Hopefully during this week I can crank out all of those pinwheels!

Other than that nothing is new.

NEW or COMPLETED: zip, zilch, nada. Unless you count the baby in my belly - that's new!

WIP: Mini-pinwheel

ON HOLD:

- Kaleidoscope QAL - waiting for further instructions 6/23

- Mom's dutch girl quilt

- Mallory's little girl quilt

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Aiden @ The Grand Floral Parade
These are not in any order - sorry!

Please take note, I have started to cut my posts off.... click the little "read rest here" link under this picture on the lower right. Due to so many pictures I am trying to keep my main page a little neater and less bogged down.....

Fabric Tuesday PLUS BIG SURPRISE!!!

2011-06-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

I got the rest of my fabric for the upcoming Kaleidoscope QAL in the mail this week. The entire collection of LOVE by Amy Butler, cut into a charm pack, more SOUL BLOSSOMS by Amy Butler, and her solid colored coordinates to the 2 collections. PERFECT. Oh wait.... is that something extra in my stash....

Just in case any of you are BLIND.... here is one more look.... yep. Baby #2 in on the way. Due around Feb 20th 2012

Join in on Fabric Tuesday - although no one can beat my post! lol

Bachelorette Tuesday

2011-06-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Oh Ashley, you are soo heartbroken over Bentley. Get over it!

Being in Thailand is amazing, I would love to have a chance to visit more countries.

Constantine: I think it's a blessing in disguise that their romantic boat ride was rained out. Being forced to just "hang out" and spend time doing nothing special is more realistic. I think they will learn more about each other instead of being wrapped up in some fantasy world. However, finding a complete stranger and asking them to translate their random questions to the random old man? That was interesting. "Don't try to win!" was his best marriage advice to them. Perhaps I should take that advice myself.... Anyone else find it ironic that she just was starting to get her heart back and now is already ready to give it away? Sounds to me like she needs to find out how to be happy without a man.

Group Date: Way to go ABC! It's so refreshing to see them helping back the community instead out having expensive dates. That said, Ryan P seemed to miss the memo and decided to delegate. Ben F and his mural was a great idea. He really took to this date and I think it shows his personality. It seems like JP really felt the experience as well. I like him more and more.

I think William said it right, the guys start bad mouthing Ryan P because they feel threatened by him. I guess he was a bit bossy on the date, but I don't see the reason the guys are complaining. All the small talk is annoying. I mean I know she has to get to know all of the guys, but it's just boring. I like JP a lot - and the fact that he is the best kisser there, way to go. She is right, shaved heads can be sexy! Ryan P does seem really cocky as the date goes on. He pulled her aside for that weirdo "umm, hope to have more conversations with you".

Ames: I can't get over his forehead! The little lagoon that they went into was really pretty, it was like a scene out of a movie. He has a bit more character than I expected him to have. Moral of the story - don't judge a man by his forehead. After their dinner date Ames has really moved up a bit on my list. No kissing really builds more anticipation for their next date too.

Ashley observation: Could she wear something other than short shorts and a long top. I am really getting tired of seeing that same style over and over. Wear a cute dress, or something that covers both of your shoulders. Branch out a bit please.

Rose Ceremony: We got to see a bit of Lucas talking. He's still a wild card - he seems sweet but it just floating there. The Blake confronts Ryan P. about his personality and tells him that all the guys have a dislike for him. Off camera he responds: "You can't help the fact that I'm frickin' happy all the time and not grumpy, well I'm sorry!". Great quote buddy, that just showed what Blake was telling you! That was pretty much all that we got to see for the cocktail party. Ryan stole the show with his perky smile.

Dun Dun Dun - she changed everything and added a rose! The sore loser going home is....West. Good choice, I'm not sure he was ready.

My top 3 has been changed.... JP who moved up in ranks, Ames really took me by surprise this week and Ben F is my wild card.

I kicked William off the list because after last weeks issue I just don't see it as much anymore. Also Ryan P has moved down due to his excessive perkiness. :)

Our Mini-Vacation

2011-06-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

It was great. We had a nice drive up to Seattle, I took Kris on a detour up to see University of Washington. It was so nice to show him where I worked for 4 years, it looked the same, my old dorm and some of the campus. We saw Brock's friend Dalila and said hi to his friend Zhanna.

We got the car dropped off with the shipping company and got picked up by a sketchy Russian town car driver. He had a prominent gold tooth and I could hardly understand him. He kept stopping randomly in the middle of the road because he obviously can't read his own GPS system. Then my side of the car almost got slammed against a semi who was honking fiercely at our driver. It was a scary adventure to the hotel.

We made it safe and sound, we were on the 5th {top} floor and needed to use our hotel key to go up the elevator. Made us feel special lol. Clearly we don't get out enough. We ordered an amazing dinner for room service. He had rib eye and I had this delish mushroom and gnocchi dish. Then we watched Little Fockers. The movie was really funny. We just spent the evening doing nothing. It was nice to just relax.

We went down to the managers reception and I had a couple glasses of wine to end the evening. It was great to sleep in a King size bed, and not have to wake up at all during the night. We spread out and slept from 11-8am. So refreshing! In the morning we had a great breakfast. Then we met with my friend Andrea and her boyfriend Matt and had Top Pot coffee. They very generously gave us a ride to the train station so we didn't have to deal with scary Town Car driver again.

The train ride was uneventful. Kris was nervous he'd get motion sick so he pretty much slept the whole time. I read my book which I managed to finish that night! Kris was so excited that the train station had the big wooden benches, he had to rest on it!

Friday Night Sew In

2011-06-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Sew In has come around again, and this time I'm going to join in! It's very simple. On Friday night {usually the 3rd Friday of each month} you get your family settled in for the evening, make yourself some tea, or pour some wine, get comfy and sew! It's a great time to work on something you've been putting aside. This week I will be working on a pinwheel quilt I have been putting off.

Then on Saturday you post a little something sharing what you worked on. Perhaps add some photos to the FNSI flickr group and enjoy seeing other ladies {and a few gents} or spent Friday night "sewing with you!".
Join in with us - I hear there have a giveaway too!

On a min-vacation!

2011-06-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

The hubs and I are doing my mom a big favor. She is shipping my brother's car to him in Hawaii, but it has to be driven up to Seattle to be dropped off. So she arranged a nice hotel for us, money for a dinner and movie and a train ticket home. So off we go. Our first trip together with out our little guy.

We are both nervous and excited. We have each spent time away alone, but it was somehow easier knowing the other was with him. This time we just pray he behaves and SLEEPS for his grandparents.

He will have fun, he is even going to the big grand floral parade with my parents while we are gone.

Wish us luck. I'll share how it goes when we get back!

Kaleidoscope QAL

2011-06-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in on the latest Quilt Along. The Kaleidoscope QAL at Don't Call Me Betsy. I'm soo very excited about it, and I am even more excited about the fabrics I'm going to be using. It's an ode to Amy Butler for sure. I am sure it will turn out beautiful.

Been living under a rock? Haven't heard of this great QAL yet? Just click the button above, or the one in my sidebar to the right to check it out! Also there is a great flickr group if you decide to join us.

From left to right - "Love", Amy Butler coordinating solids, & "Soul Blossoms"

WIP {Work-In-Progress} Wednesday

2011-06-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

COMPLETED: The Lotus Quilt

I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out. I LOVE it. The binding needed more work, I only had 2 inch scraps to work with so it's a very tight, small bind, but who cares. It was my first binding made from scratch and I call it a success. Of course next time I have a better idea of how big I want it to be. It's a great size, almost 70x70 so I can curl up under it perfectly! Aiden even loves watching cartoons wrapped up in it.

I still am all a twitter about it's name though. I'm thinking calling it "Tranquility". Who knows. Any suggestions??

I also completed the small tote and hot pads for a birthday present from last week.

WIP:

Mini-pini's. I inherited some fabric from my grandmother-in-law. I want to use this pastel floral to make pinwheels. I picked up some matching solids and have started cutting. I have a few ideas in mind. This is my next project to hopefully get finished!

New:

I've added a new project to my list. I probably won't work on it for a while yet. My friend Mallory found out she is expecting a girl, I have already made them a sock monkey blanket, but now I want to make something super girly. I have some Sweet Divinity fabrics I want to work with. I also want to attempt the faux chenille backing for this one. I drew up a simple sketch. I think I'm going to just go with some large squares and add rows of a pale pink fabric in between. Then the back with be a pink flannel as the main.

On-Hold:

Mod-Times quilt {which may eventually get scrapped}
Dutch Girl quilt for mom
Baby Girl quilt
This week's stats:
New projects - 1
Completed projects - 2
Total Projects In Progress: 4 {down 1. I completed the birthday gift from last week and my Tranquility quilt, but added a baby girl quilt to the to-do.}

Join In

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Fabric Tuesday

2011-06-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Bachelorette Tuesday!

2011-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

During this weeks show there was really only 2 big events. The Roast gone bad, and Bentley being his usual douche self.

The Roast - I have to agree with the joke that Jeff should have kept his mask on. He really is not attractive. All the small boob jokes were funny, it's good she can laugh at herself and still be confident. And I like Ryan P. He wasn't funny, but he is growing on me in the long run, glad he got a kiss this week. William was supposed to be the comic of the show, hoping to roast a real celebrity one day - and I really liked him, then he went and made an ass out of himself. Way to go. Pissed me off that Bentley swooped in and tried to be the hero. Of course William feels like crap now, which he should. He cried, he apologized, he took a walk, he said he'd be willing to pack his bags and leave... then of course he got to stay. He has some major sucking up to do.

Bentley is a douche. I said it last week, all of America sees it, but this week he was just over the top! "I'm going to make her cry - I hope my hair looks good". Then he used his daughter over and over to get out of the truth and even said "she's buying this". Using his daughter was such an ass move. I can't believe it. I hope one day she sees this - he should be ashamed of himself and of treating women this way! He even said he was licking her neck and was trying to turn her on while she cried and wished she would stop crying already. Then he said "I tried to talk to her like I would a girl I really liked - except I really dont' like her". He is such a piece of crap. "How am I gonna get out of this - I'm done with her and she keeps going on and on".

So glad he is gone. I can't wait to hear what goes on at the "after the rose" - knowing him though he probably will be a no show.

Way to send Jeff off, showing a burning mask when he left the show. Best ending ever. The outtake after the credits about killed me. Jeff on the crapper and Bentley doing his hair, I'm sure they appreciate that being aired.

52 List in 52 Weeks. Week #1

2011-06-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

So here we go. Something new. I heard about this from a fellow crafty blogger and thought it would be fun. The idea is to do a year in lists. Some lists will be practical, like today, some will be fun, like say "5 things people would be surprised to know about you". I like to make lists so here it goes.

{If you are interested in joining in, or learning more, check out the intro post at On The Brink Of Something Beautiful}

Writer's Workshop

2011-06-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

1.) Six Word Memoir: Write about a significant time in your life in just six words.

Peed on a Stick. Plus Sign.

Well that was an easy writing prompt this week. Join in for yourself at Mama Kat's.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

First hot wheel cars. He makes car noises. Loves them!

WIP {work in progress} Wednesday

2011-05-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

New:

I'm working on a couple pot holders and a small tote bag for Kris' Aunt who has a birthday this coming week. I'll do a nice reveal of them later this week or next Wednesday.

Completed:

Just a quick tote to practice before I make the said birthday gift.

A little mug rug and mouse pad for my mom's office.

In-Progress:

The Lotus Quilt, still yet to be named, is coming along well. I have completed sewing the top and trimming it, it's an odd size - 67x69. I love how it looks though.

I also did just a small pieced back to tie it into the front.

The most exciting thing of the week if I made my own binding! I was beyond scared to do this, I mean what a waste of pretty fabric if it went wrong! It didn't though, it's so thrilling to see it all rolled up and just waiting to go on the Lotus quilt.

On-Hold:

Same as last week...
The mini-pini quilt
Mod-Times quilt {which may eventually get scrapped}
Dutch Girl quilt for mom

This week's stats:
New projects - 3
Completed projects - 1
Currently in progress or On-Hold - 6

Join in at Don't Call Me Betsy this week

Bachelorette Talk Tuesday.

2011-05-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

Okay it's time to get back into the grove of some non-sewing blogging. The Bachelorette.... Ashley Hebert. Yeah, I wasn't a fan of hers on The Bachelor last season, and I really am not starting off liking here this season. Although I think the Brown hair makes her look a bit more intelligent.

The man in the Man. What the F**k dude? I mean I get the whole "I want her to see me for the real me, and not my looks" but seriously, he is taking it a bit too far.

First date: William

Wedding Planning - how funny. I mean this guy is pretty cute, and he totally played along with her on the cake smash. He jumped right in at the ring shop too. Props for that. Then even though he was scared he gave her flowers to use down the aisle. Then he even said I do! Plus who doesn't like a guy named William - hello future Prince!

Sob story. Everyone has to have them on this show. Although I really did enjoy his story. The story about his watch being kept on the time it stopped when his dad died. That's a sweet thing.

Group Date:

West - His name is a direction? I hope it's short for something like Weston. He is okay looking though.

Constantine - cut your hair! {image to left}

Ben F - cut your hair too.

Ames - not sure what is up with your forehead.... but I can't stop staring at it! {image left}

The Jabawalkeez was pretty neat. I couldn't have the courage to get up on stage!

Bentley - I'm sorry but he is a big DOUCHE! Did he just say she has a rockin' butt and he wants her to tickle his dick?? Yeah I think he did. WOW. This is like Wes from Jillian's season times 10. And this is the guy who has a daughter names Cozy. Where did that come from? And she gave him the rose... *gag*. "Can we just bag this and go play blackjack?" Sleezebag. He will stay a long time of course, ABC likes drama.

{At this point I would like to share that my husband is snoring soo loudly next to me that I have to keep turning up the volume. tee hehe}

Mickey - he looks better scruffy and in his glasses. Stop with the head or tails though. Goodness can you not make a decision without a coin? His mom has passed away too. Too many sad stories. They are flipping a coin to decide the rose... that's sad. He is lucky though. Colbie Calet - lucky! Seriously lol.

Cocktail Party/Rose Ceremony:

JP - I liked that he just jumped right in to talk to her. Good for him for putting the kiss up to a coin.
William - was he just doing a President Bush impersonation going on? Not cool he took some one on one time though tonight - he had a date!
Blake - dancing one of one - good way to get touchy!

{insert commentary now - I LOVE the nickname DING DONG for William. He's pretty decent SO FAR - but that nickname sure does suit him well.}

Jeff - Here we go. The mask is coming off! I don't know who he thinks he is - Batman?! More like Robin to me. I know the brain hemorrhage story is sad, and it shouldn't be something to make fun of - but there is no reason for him to hide himself. Then Matt came in... come on ABC - cut us a break!

Bentley - "I'd literally rather be swimming in pee" than be having dinner with the fountains around them or planning a wedding with her. I can't wait for the after the rose with this one - she will have something to say to him! Then he even insulted her kissing. He said "it was kinda cool, but it kinda sucked at the end". I can't believe the producers let this guy on. I am all for ratings, but this is just completely mean to Ashley.

Okay - so far West, Mickey, and William are my front runners. My wild card pick is JP.

Oh and does Jeff sleep with his mask on? How does he keep people from seeing him all day? He's cleaning though, kudos to him, I bet the rest of the guys are slobs.

Preview for next week: Bentley - "I'm totally gonna make Ashley cry. I hope my hair looks okay." DOUCHE!

SPOILER: Here is what Jeff aka Mask Man looks like... I did some googling. So don't look if you want to wait to see him.

Some Hubby Time

2011-05-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

My mom was out of town for almost a week, so when she came back she wanted to see Aiden. So Kris and I took some time for ourselves!

On Friday mom took Aiden for a few hours and we went and had a sushi lunch date. Then we both had some time to ourselves. I worked some more on my Lotus Quilt and he worked on cars.

On Saturday we used up some movie ticket vouchers we had and saw The Hangover 2 in theaters. Their were two showing at 1230pm and we passed the first theater and went into the 2nd one, the one listed on our ticket of course, because we follow directions.

The movie started and it was just us. We have a feeling that everyone else who was supposed to be in our theater saw the first sign and just went in without paying much attention. Fine by us! We talked and laughed loud, and even considered some inappropriate, could get us kicked out of the theater, behavior. In the end though we just watched the movie. It was a funny, but not too new from the first one. More raunchy though.

After that we went and did some grocery shopping before we picked Aiden up from mom. It was a nice couple days to ourselves. I think we needed a little couple time. Tomorrow I plan to just stay in and sew if I can.

Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend!

Wordless Wednesday - Bedtime Books...

2011-05-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

WIP {Work-In-Progress} Wednesday

2011-05-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Here is a picture of my brother wearing his costume I made him. It worked GREAT he said.

New & Completed:
A scrappy improv mug rug. I just randomly decided I needed to try making my first one. So I just started cutting and sewing with no plan. It turned out really cute! I put it to use right away.

In-Progress:

Started really working on my Lotus Sugar Pop quilt this week. I need to think of a name for this one. Anyway, all the pieces are cut, and I laid them all out and am now working on sewing the rows.

In Progress or On-Hold:

- Mom's Dutch Girl/Sunbonnet Sue quilt {hold}
- Mod-Times Quilt along using Lola's fabric {hold}
- Pastel pinwheel quilt {hold}
- Lotus Sugar Pop quilt {in progress}

This week's stats:
New projects - 1 {mug rug}
Completed projects - 1 {mug rug}
Currently in progress or On-Hold - 4

Fabric Tuesday!

2011-05-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

I won something this week!

I am beyond excited with what I won too. Thanks to Amy for her Bloggers Quilt Festival last week I was one of the random winners. I know right, luck! I won a 1.5 yard pack from Vicki Welsh over on Etsy. She makes beautiful hand dyed and painted fabrics. She let me decide if I wanted fat quarters or a mix of cuts or just one large cut. I have future hope of making a rainbow quilt, all those bottled rainbow blocks on the interwebs are inspiring me, and I picked to get a 1.5 yard cut of this amazing rainbow gradient cut.

Won't this make a great large chunk for a pieced rainbow quilt back? Like with some white surrounding it. Oh I got all excited! So that is my exciting Fabric Tuesday news.

Here is a few images from her site.

The entire cut

close up of left

close up of middle

close up of right.

Visit Vicki and see her beautiful work!

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday @ Quiltstory

Writer's Workshop

2011-05-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

5.) List ten favorite things about one of your favorite people.

Okay - my favorite people are of course my husband and son, then my mom and grandpa. But I happen to adore my little brother. A ton. So since I don't mention him on here enough, I thought I would answer writer's workshop about him!

1.   His laugh. It is soo contagious.
2.   He isn't afraid to do something he enjoys, like figure skate, even though it isn't seen as "popular".
3.   He has a perfect smile.
4.   Even though he is my younger brother, by 8 years, he sometimes steps up to the plate and acts like a big brother and I love that.
5.   He dreams big. For example, he used to dream of making it to the Olympics, he wanted to be an astronaut and work for NASA, and he also wants to open a school in Africa. Oh and he's a double major and a minor and will be graduating college in 3 years instead of 4 or 5.
6.   He jumps on hotel beds with me and probably always will!
7. He has perfected silly self pics from me!
8. He is an artist.
9. He is a true believer in God and lives his life that way. He is compassionate and loves all creatures no matter what. He may complain about people, but he never is hateful.
10. His OCD makes me crack up sometimes. Like that he has about 40 hand sanitizer bottles around him at all times.

{pictures: Mom took this when she got to Hawaii - 5/18. self pic. art that he made for Aiden. Last time he saw Aiden - Nov. 2010.  Sr. picture taken by Kris}

lou-LOU-thi giveaway post

2011-05-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Anna Maria Horner recently revealed her louLOUthi line at the 2011 Spring Quilt Market. I can't wait to see some in person and get my hands on these beauties. They are so full of color and pizazz!

Pink Castle Fabrics is having a giveaway to win some of these as soon as they as available. The winner will get to pick their top 5 fabrics from the line and will win a 1/2 yard of each! What a great deal is that?

Here are my top 5....

1. 21
2. 25
3. 19
4. 20
5. 22

I really love them all, but I think I love the retro colors of the ones I picked. Would be a standout quilt!

Juliana Palette

Eleni Palette

Isabela Palette

http://justabitfrayed.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/anna-maria-horner-loulouthi-fabric-giveaway/" target="http://justabitfrayed.wordpress.com/">

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T03:44:00.000-07:00

WIP Wednesday

2011-05-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

This week I am doing WIP {work in progress} Wednesday, the right way... with a real update! So here it goes, hopefully I can keep up with it better this way.

Completed Projects:

I finished my brother's costume for his Shrek 2 on Ice performance. It turned out soo great. Here it is all ready to be taken to Hawaii this week. Next week I hope to share a picture of him actually wearing it.

Bathroom redo:

I was tired of our non-matching bathroom. Since we don't have the $$ to buy new, I redid! I decided to jazz up our shower curtain a bit and I loved how it turned out. I also grabbed a few of our old black hand towels and spruced them up too.

New:

I'm starting my Sugar Pop Lotus quilt this week! I can't wait!

In Progress or On-Hold:

- Mom's Dutch Girl/Sunbonnet Sue quilt
- Mod-Times Quilt along using Lola's fabric
- Pastel pinwheel quilt
- Lotus Sugar Pop quilt

This week's stats:
New projects - 2
Completed projects - 1
Currently in progress or On-Hold - 5

Fabric Tuesday: Singer Party

2011-05-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

I hosted a Singer sewing party this weekend, it was through Houseparty, and was a blast. I was supposed to do these little roll up bags, like for makeup brushes, but that wasn't something that I found practical for myself or my guests, so we made dishtowels, which will be much more useful!

I had little gift bags for everyone with patterns, threads, a little sewing pouch, a couple towels and fabric and coupons good for Martha Stewart craft supplies and Joanne's.

The little sewing machine setup area.

Here I was playing "instructor" and showing some of the features of the machine. I showed off some of the stiches, explained how to use the self threader on the machine, the drop in bobbin feature and all of the wonderful feet and accesories the machine came with.

I taught everyone how to make ruffles and how to make yo yo's - which everyone thought was easy and LOVED.

Tiffany {above} and Kathi {below} in action making their towels.

Tiffany's completed towel. She used not only the ruffle but the yo yo too!

This was my quick little sample towel. Everyone had fun being crafty, we spent 3 hours sewing and chatting. We also all enjoyed some of my mom's homemade angel food cake and fresh strawberry sauce. Yum! What a neat little girls day, and a perfect way to spend time on a Saturday.

Sharing at Fabric Tuesday @ Quiltstory

Legal stuff: Houseparty and Singer supplied me with a sample sewing machine for the party and a free box of goodies from Joanne's and Singer to share with my guests. My opnions are my own and I will be purchasing the machine because I loved it soo very much!

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Spring Fever quilt...

2011-05-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

I know I have already shared my Spring Fever quilt on my blog, but I happen to be soo proud of it, I'm going to share it again!

Amy is hosting a Blogger's Quilt Festival and is asking for everyone to share a completed quilt and explain it's importance to you and what you may have learned during the process.

My Spring Fever quilt was not my first completed quilt, but it was the first quilt I completed for myself! I started this quilt and had to stop it a few times, but I learned a lot during the process.

I learned what HST's are {half-square triangles}, and I learned a really quick and easy way to make them! It was great learning something so useful. It was fun laying them all out on my design wall and seeing all the different patterns I could make. I finally settled on squares.

It was the first time that I used my new Singer machine and I was able to use a fancy little stitch with leaves on it to quilt it. It worked well with the prints from Central Park. I loved how simple it is in the quilting, but how fun it looks.

I honestly don't know what size it is, it's a nice lap quilt for myself though. I love just throwing it over my legs to read a nice book or blog. I learned a lot about matching seams and being patient. It really boosted my confidence and completely hooked me on quilting.

So even though this wasn't my first completed quilt, I consider it my true first. I love it, and I love sharing it.

Royal Wedding Funny....

2011-05-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

WIP {Work in Progress} Wednesday

2011-05-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

I took the plunge and am making my brother a Prince Charming {from Shrek 2} costume for his skating program, in less than 2 weeks. I've never made clothes, so I was a bit scared. I found a pattern that works well {It's really for a Musketeer} and I found the perfect fabrics with my mom. Off we go...

I'm proud to say I have officially finished the tunic top. He is skating to the song "I'm too sexy..." and wanted to be able to rip it off, so down the front center I put velcro so he can rip it open. It turned out just like I wanted. Next up is the belt, which is easy enough, and then a blue velvety robe with fluffy white trim!

Here is my inspiration picture.

Here is out it turned out....

Here is all the fabric together so you can get an idea of the whole work in progress....

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T09:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2011-05-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

What makes me a mother... my c-section scar!

2011-05-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

I am sure that a lot of you have heard of the online project and books called "PostSecret". I have been a follower since the start and own all the books, go to the website every Sunday for new secrets etc. A lot of them speak to me, some make me laugh, some make me realize my own secrets.

This week is Mother's Day secrets and this secret below made me sad/angry/realize another of my own secrets. It made me sad that someone called a c-section scar "NASTY"....

Here is my secret: MY C-SECTION SCAR MAKES ME FEEL BEAUTIFUL.

Let me explain. My scar is like a reminder everyday that I am a mother. The sacrifice to my own body in order to bring a healthy boy into my family. Sure there is a spot that is still a bit numb, and my scar is still dark enough to be seen a bit, but it's my scar and I love it.

Some of you may complain every time you find a stretch mark too, and I hate reading pregnancy updates saying "Oh i found A stretch mark" - I have a 100, seriously, my stomach, thighs, breasts {and yes I put lotion on everyday I was pregnant for those who think that helps...} and everyone of them is a reminder of the beauty that is given to us by God to grow a life inside of us.

I love my scars, they make me a woman, they make me a Mother. Something I am proud to be, especially today.

"Spring Fever" quilt - completed!!

2011-05-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well it took me a while, but my Central Park quilt is done. I love it. It had a few quirks if anyone looks close enough, but it was my first quilt for myself. :) And it's on my lap now.

Wordless Wednesday {semi...}

2011-05-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

I wish this picture was better, but this is either the start of end of a water tornado my brother saw in Honolulu this week. We saw pictures of much larger and clearer funnel clouds on the news, but this is what he caught on his phone. They had a bad storm and he was watching it all - my mom said the thunder and rain was loud enough she could hear it through the phone when he called her.

Fabric Tuesday!

2011-05-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to make my mom the bag she wanted and picked out for Mother's Day. Here it is... It was supposed to be square on the bottom but I screwed that up - good thing rounded still looks cute!

What did you make with Fabric this week... Share it at Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory.com

Writer's Workshop

2011-04-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

3.) What is going on in the bedroom? Describe a memorable sleeper.

Our bedroom is full of fun... yes, that's kind too, but there is never a shortage of laughs. I mumble in my sleep, Aiden talks in his and has even been known to point, but Kris, he is where the real fun is.

{Image below is old - it's Kris and Aiden when Aiden was only 5 days old.}

We had only been married a little while and he always went to sleep before me. He was sound asleep and on his side facing me. I'm just watching TV in the dark curled up cozy. I look over and he opens his eyes, stares me straight in the face and says in the most sultry voice I think I've ever heard from him...

"Hey handsome!"

Now, how do I reply to that? I was just a tad confused as to why my husband is addressing me as handsome, not sexy, or pretty etc...

I said "who's handsome?"

Kris: "You are..." again being super flirty and sultry with me here.

Then he closed his eyes again! He had no idea in the morning, but to this day I can't stop hearing that voice. I crack up every time. He called me handsome... I still can't get over it. Thanks dear.

One other time he again was sound asleep and I was up late watching TV in bed. All of a sudden he screamed out "TAYLOR SWIFT". I very quickly smacked him awake and started grilling him. "Are you dreaming about an underage blond?" "Do you think she's hot?" "What KIND of dream was it..." lol Poor guy.

He talks often in his sleep, but those two he will never live down from me, or my family for that matter.... Very memorable sleep around here for sure!

Join in for yourself over at Mama Kat's

Wordless Wednesday.

2011-04-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

I'm playing catch-up.... here's a handful of recent pics.