~September Summed Up~

September. I blinked and it's gone. Another one for the history books- Another full month of living life. And here, a few captured moments to remember it by before we run full-speed-ahead into October.

There was lots and lots of sanding and staining- more baby steps toward a longed for dream . . . (more on that in another post)

There was a bit of antiquing and finding fall inspiration . . . don't you just LOVE these books turned pumpkins? I'm dying to make some, but how on earth did they cut books into that shape? If anyone out there knows, please tune me in!

There was lots of clothes shopping. More sweaters and layers for the coming cold weather. And new jeans to make way for my ever-expanding waist line. (there's no pictures, but that would be due to the baking I've also been doing)

A new, badly needed haircut. (and in case you were wondering, I'm not smiling in this picture because I've come to realize that no matter how hard I try, my left eye always ends up half shut when I smile causing me to look either intoxicated or mildly disfigured. I'm just accepting that some people are photogenic and I am not one of them!)

There have been daily drives to and from cross country practice for the Youngest- and to weekly meets as well. Last week he came in 2nd place for 7th grade boys and we were very excited for him- he pushed himself so hard, and he found success!

I've been stitching felties again. Makes me happy, happy, happy- and keeps me calm! (looks like 'franken-kitty' with all the pins, poor thing!)

And I've also done a little book-cover making for a birthday present.

And not to forget the kids, they've done lots of growing, growing, growing . . .

(and eating, eating, eating!!) This was the month that the Oldest surpassed me in height!!

I spent a day freshening up the laundry/mudroom with new shelf paper, art, and a rake hanger.

And I celebrated the first day of fall with my favorite fall coffee mug and some straw flowers. 

The 'fall' curtains also found their way into the kitchen . . .

September's weather was really warm and lovely nearly all month.We rambled just about everywhere-

from a graveyard . . .

To a waterfall. And everywhere in between. We took lots of walks in the neighborhood, along the river, in the arboretum and out into The Gorge . . .

And, of course, there were many, many more moments . . . lots of gardening, chats with friends, school papers to fill out a mile high, long and boring teacher presentations, doctor appts, ebay work, a week of miserable allergies, a couple dates with the Husband, soups simmering and new tires for my car (!!!!) As always, a patchwork of life being lived . . .
and, all in all, a lovely September.

~Kitty ~ Corner~

It was a good, but busy week. Good, because after three months of illness I am once again able to drive . . . busy, because after three months of illness I am once again able to drive!

Took the Oldest to the bank to open his first bank account . . . ran lots of long-put-off-errands . . . met with girlfriends to plan another friend's bridal shower. . . ran all over town looking for supplies for invitations . . . picked up the Youngest from school each day as well as constant post office runs after reopening my Ebay shop. After all those weeks pining after freedom from the house I am so ready to never leave it again! Or at least not for a couple days . . .  

I did manage to get a little kitty love in with this fluffy guy and his brother. There's always time for a furry lap warmer in the winter. In fact, a cat on the lap is a good excuse not to get up for awhile. They make you to a rest.

And as far as furry friends go, this week I also managed to finish up this felty for a dear friend's very belated birthday . . .

I had fun designing him and adding some details . . . who doesn't want a kitty with 'hi' on their behind? It's a lot nicer that some of the stuff my living/breathing fur-balls have brought home on their behinds. ;)

Anyway, I hope she likes him!

Also wanted to share a little corner of my home. I thought it was pretty bathed in a quick moment of sunlight earlier this week.

And then there are these two handsome boys to make it shine as well.

And my small collection of vintage brown transferware. The dainty little creamer was a gift from a sweet friend. Isn't it lovely all lit up with sunshine?

And speaking of sun, we were lucky enough to have a sun-filled, dry Saturday today. The Husband and the Youngest did some tidying up in the garden while I did some well overdue dusting/cleaning/picking up in the house. And the Oldest spent the whole day at a videogame convention. *sigh*

At least we will all be together tomorrow for sure. . . in front of the tv, eating artichoke dip while sweating bullets and shouting at the top of our lungs. Yes, there's football tomorrow! Go Hawks! :)

Cheers!

~Monday Stuff~

A new week.

Boys went back to school today. Husband back to work . . . not that he hadn't been there prior to the weekend. 

I sat in my chair with a hot cup of coffee and cream, wrapped in my blanket and warm cat on my lap, waved them all off and rejoiced in a quiet house. Quiet, but COLD! The sun we had last week has turned back to the usual Pacific Northwest grey and the forecast is calling for lots of rain and freezing temps. I say if it's gonna get this cold, it better just snow. Which it won't . . . sigh. :(

I spent a good part of my morning applying for health insurance online . . . and had to come to a halt when I needed to supply info. that the Husband is unable to find. I'm sure it will turn up, but it was a disappointment to not just get it finished. I hate doing that kinda stuff and don't want it hanging over my head, you know?

I've been working on some little felties lately . . . the one above was delivered to my Grammie just today as a belated birthday gift. When you are very ill for three months, you end up with a lot of belated birthdays! So currently, I'm working on another for a dear friend who celebrated her birthday last October- the day after the Oldest turned 14. Yes, I missed my Oldest son's birthday too! But he got a football- I don't think a stuffed felt animal would have worked. ;) 

Here's to another Monday and a fresh week ahead . . .

Cheers!

~One Week~

Yes, today means it's been a week exactly since I first got this virus and I am STILL not well. The Oldest brought it home and shared it with me after 'not feeling great' two mornings in a row. And then it was gone . . . while ever since I've been ill, then the Husband went down and yesterday the Youngest caught it as well. Not how I was hoping to spend such a beautiful, mostly sunny week but I'm counting on getting it now means I'm all paid up for the year. ;)

I was just well enough today to spend a little time 'Autumn-izing' my blog- something I am SO in the mood to do here in my home, but simply not up to it yet. The header picture is from our annual trip to the pumpkin patch last year. 

And down below is something I've been meaning to share for the last nine months! After more than four years (on and off) I finally finished this western cross stitch I was making for what used to be my boys' cowboy bedroom . . . which they've outgrown and haven't shared for years now. Things take a long time to get done around here. :)

Sorry about the glare . . . it's hanging in my livingroom and there was just no way around the sun light. I found the frame at a second hand store for a couple dollars and I just love it . . . very rustic and exactly what I was picturing.

Well, I'm off to veg with my boys- Little House on the Prairie and popcorn . . . hope you have a healthy and happy weekend!

Cheers!

~Cozy Sunday~

One. 
        Two. 
               Now three peals of thunder and it has begun to rain. Nothing torrential, just those large, heavy drops that make a leaf bounce here and there as if some invisible force has struck it.
Quinn is contentedly curled on our bed upstairs, but Twister has crept away and hidden himself in the basement.

Even though I've been stuck in the house for the last 24 hours with some cold bug, I snuck out to the front porch this morning for a quick snap of our front tree in Autumn array. Some branches bare, others have leaves still summer green and then some carry bunches of garnet to offset it all. It's always the first tree to 'go' and it's changing promises more to come.

I've been spending lots of time resting and drinking tea . . . reading some (Autmn by Susan Branch- one of my favorites) and stretching some (sitting so much just kills my lower back) . . .

and I've started a quilting project . . . my very first. It's a very small project and I'm grateful I decided to start small . . . this quilting-stitch thing is not coming quickly to me. My stitches are crooked and uneven, but I carry on. It's still a cozy way to while away invalid hours. :)

 That and the addition of furry company and a Husband who took care of the crockpot for me hours ago and I am a happy (albeit, sick) camper. 

Happy Sunday!

Cheers!

~What Have I Been Up To?~

. . . and the answer there is 'not too much'.

The Youngest had a nasty cold to contend with all last week and now I have been fighting the same cold since Saturday.

Luckily I finished a dear friend's baby shower gift just prior to the sore throat, sinus pressure and exhaustion setting in.

Here is a daisy blanket for her soon-to-come baby girl.

And a card. 

I had fun designing it, but honestly not much fun painting it . . . the sinus pressure struck by the time I got to that part. Nothing is more frustrating then trying to paint with a headache and dribbley nose.

But it was lovely to have a baby shower to buy for . . . and fun/strange to walk down the aisles of Target carrying a pack of diapers once more. Diapers?! I literally can't remember the last time I held a diaper, let alone bought a pack of them! My 'baby' will turn eleven soon, and while it hasn't been that long, it really has at the same time. You know what I mean?

Crazy to think there was a time when my whole world revolved around diapers in some way . . . changing them, toting them around, throwing them away, worrying over the price of them! And then . . .  after all that, you actually forget what it's like to have them in your life or even in your hand! And not all that far down the road, either. Funny, isn't it? Life is always moving on to the next thing.

I think that's why it's so nice to go to a baby shower now. It used to be back in the day myself and everyone I knew was having a baby. There seemed to be a shower every Saturday. Babies were a constant part of my world . . . 
and then the babies grew up. So now when I enter that world, it's with memories only. 

And I'm grateful because it makes me pause. I look at that beautiful mother-to-be, and I think about all that she has before her . . . all those beautiful moments that she will end up holding so close to her heart all her life, and she doesn't even know it yet. And some of those moments will be painful- let's be honest- but they will still be held dearly in their own beauty. It makes me treasure my own memories all the more- and try to take in all I can while my 'babies' are still around. :)

Hope you have a lovely and healthy week!

Cheers!

A Baby, a Blanket and a Bear~

Aaahh~ the day is darkening, the dishwasher is doing it's business, younger is in the shower and older is off reading- Husband is at class and at long last I am free to share the fun had this weekend. In one word?
Shower- the baby kind.




Now, I have to preface this with the fact that I am not a 'head-over-heels-baby-person'- not at all. I much prefer older kids- it's just who I am. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional cuddling and cooing over one, just so long as I can give it back and go my merry way back to the world of normal sleeping patterns and children who can use a toilet- (though I admit younger still doesn't aim well) In other words, I will be a wonderful grandmother someday! ;)

However, making for baby is a different matter! I love, love, love to make and buy and decorate for babies! Baby stuff is just so fun. In fact, I still drool over cute nursery photos thinking 'what if we had just one more- vintage nursery ryhmes would be such a cute theme!'- and then I come back to my senses (like the fact that we can't have anymore) and reason that decorating a nursery is not reason enough for starting all over and having a ten-year age gap between kids.

Anyway- back to the baby shower. I have to say I've never been so unstressed about throwing a shower in my life. Doing it with my friend Mandie was wonderful- we divied up the tasks and just took care of it. I had fun, fun, fun all week making baby gifties and decorations.

Here is baby's card made from cardstock and old tissue paper~

This picture is the doodle that gave me the idea to make a bear as well as a blanket for baby~

~ and then here is the finally result after much play. I call her Maddie Bear (baby is Madeline). She is lying on a soft flannel baby blanket; also for Madeline~

You can see the back of the blanket better in this one- I put in as much lavender as I could since I know mommy likes that color, but I mixed it up with green and pink too, just using whatever I had on hand. I love getting to do that, but it's kind of sad what little dent it actually made in the fabric stack!

It's been two years since I've made anything stuffed, so all things considered, I'm pretty happy with how she turned out- a couple points to remember for next time, like make the ears bigger in the pattern so it actually looks like bear ears, and try to remember that an upside down triangle is a cat-shaped nose, not a bear-shaped nose. If I can manage to get this right then there shouldn't be confusion such as I encountered when asking Husband what he thought. Of course, asking Husband his opinion on anything I make can be a dangerous path, but I can at least count on absolute honesty with him. So, whether cat, bear, mouse- it's a stuffed animal and I think she's cute! And I'd like to get the face rounder next time, too. I think making them more regularly will be key to getting it the way I envision, so I suppose I need to put out the plea for more friends to have babies! ;)

I also made a simple penant garland to decorate with~ you can see a small part of it below along with the two guests of honor~

. . . and here is baby herself; isn't she precious?! Can you believe she was only 4 1/2 pounds at birth and full term?! I have never held one so small. She makes a plastic doll feel heavy.

And speaking of holding her, here is yours truly doing just that!

I really look like I'm suffering, huh? ;)

The shower went really well, and I'd say my only complaint was that we happened to pick the hottest day of the year (so far) to hold it. We got really hot and sweaty moving tables and chairs around in preparation (where are the men when you need them?) and there was united agreement that extra deodorant may have been wise, if you know what I mean. Still, it's all worth it in the end!

More of the bunting- I wish these shots had turned out better!


Opening gifts . . .

Isn't this crocheted blanket gorgeous?

Words can't describe how blessed I felt over her enjoyment of everything- Madeline is baby number five and not once before has mama been given a baby shower!

This may sound cliche, but getting the opportunity to give to and encourage other people- and know it was actually helpful is . . . well, I don't really have a good enough word for it. I'll just say that it literally fills me with thankfulness and a heart that flip-flops with happiness.

What does that for you?~ I'd love to know~!

Thank you for sharing my joy with me!

Cheers!

~Before, After, & after-After~

Back in June my 'sewing studio' (really, my desk) was moved from our guestroom to my bedroom. This has been in order to turn the guestroom into a bedroom for Oldest who will be turning twelve in a couple months. It was promised that at twelve he would no longer have to share a room with younger brother- a change I am looking forward to in hopes of less bickering. (please!) But all this moving around (not to mention painting, and repairing) has caused quite a few things to go homeless for awhile while I get around to finding new places for them. My sewing corner has been no exception. I knew the nook off our bedroom would be an okay place for relocation, but for nearly two months, this is how it looked. . .

Yeah- not pretty.

Or even useful.

Okay, it's really just a big mess.

But finally, necessity presented itself in the form of a friend's new baby arriving and I just HAD to make a blanket. And so, time was finally set aside and some order was created.

And thus- Behold, my sewing nook . . .

Here it is from afar- I'm actually pretty happy with how it has turned out. I honestly wasn't thrilled about having an area like this in my bedroom- too easy to have everything end up piled with clothes that need putting away. But I admit wanting to keep it clear enough to use has gotten me to put the clothes away directly which is probably a pretty good thing in and of itself. And I've been surprised by how peaceful it is to do sewing up here; far less interruption and it's also very pleasant to sit and feel the breeze from the open windows and look out into the treetops if I'm hand stitching. Very nice indeed.

And so, here we are up closer . . .

And there is my rainbow-ed collection of happy spools of thread . . .

And some details from above: embroidery floss in a see-through container from Ikea, a collection of covered oatmeal containers to store everything from binding to zippers (guess I eat a lot of oatmeal), and a bit of bunting to make it fun.

Still have a few more plans and tweaking to do, but for now it works for sewing, and that is what matters. In fact, here is what it looks like at this moment . . .

I've been having lots of fun playing in my little corner as you can see. I'll share more on that later. Happy happy Friday- I hope everyone gets the chance to have some 'playtime' this weekend. :)

Cheers!