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!

Why I love having children . . .

They cook. They bake.

I had an omelet cooked up for breakfast by Oldest, and then he decided to bake chocolate crinkle cookies.

Oh, yeah- with coffee these are heaven!

And he even cleans up the mess! He is going to make some little lady very happy someday.

(oh- and he gives amazing back rubs, too- I don't want to ever give him up!)

-Cheers!

Giveaway at Eager Hands!~

In between a couple of projects at the moment- both involve a baby shower I'm co-hosting this Saturday. What is with all the baby girls lately? Not that I'm complaining. Pink doesn't happen much in a household of males.

But the reason I'm popping in is to tell you about a giveaway over at Eager Hands- Lora is a lovely woman, with a lovely Etsy shop and she is celebrating her 1,000 th sale! She's giving away a really sweet necklace with the words 'blessed' and 'thankful' on it. So go on over and check out her blog and her shop!

Okay- back to sewing and cutting. And hopefully more posts if I can find time to upload more photos from our trip. Have a fabulous day! :)

Cheers!

~Home: here, there and together

Today has been a full on 'Monday' if you catch my meaning. I just can't seem to focus on anything at all. Vacation is over, Husband is back at work and I swear the 'to do' list procreated while we were gone. The boys came home last night, and today has been full of unpacking, laundry, bickering, and emotion due to a week and a half of late nights and being spoiled rotten. Not to mention hormones. Sometimes I wonder if the price of going away for awhile is worth the cost.

Honestly, I think we are all still recovering from our trip home to Seattle. It's funny that I still call it home when I haven't lived there for over twelve years. Maybe it feels like home because whenever we go up, we always stay with my Grammie and Papa and they have always lived in the same house since I've been around- the one, constant place all my life. Sometimes it's like going back in time and can be a nice reprieve from the constant busyness of what life looks like now. And sometimes, all the friends, family and activities we want to pack in while there can end up being anything but refreshment. Still, Seattle has it's hold- that place of origin has resonated as 'home' my whole life.

But even though it feels like home there- coming back to my house always impresses on me how much I love my own home- especially when we've been gone for awhile. And that home is so much more than the house we live in. It is the people around, the way you live life day in and day out. There is rhythm and familiarity in home just as much as there is constant change and re-working of life and relationships within it at the same time. And it can be like a weapons testing ground at times- and I have to say, the oldest son is certainly using it that way. But how good to know that this is the place for that testing- he is safe and loved whatever emotional state he happens to be in.

As much as he enjoyed visiting with his great-grandparents, there is such relief for him to be back where he belongs- he no longer has to 'hold it all together' in his mind. He is home, and finally free to just be. And sometimes when you are eleven years old, just being can be like fireworks going off- rather explosive when it gets 'permission' to blow.

I am grateful however, that he desires me to be there with him in these difficult mood swings. Though there is little I can really do. It's strange how different this comforting is compared to when he was younger. He is physically too big for me to hold, though I do try. And there is no quick recovery because the hurt isn't from a scraped knee or a mean word- the hurt is from being more and more aware of the world around him, and the struggles inside himself.

And so I sit and listen; I pray silently- hoping for a touch of wisdom to offer- usually coming up short. I wonder how it is that I can still remember being eleven and twelve years old and not have anything useful to give from that experience. I do remember; but I think and speak with a mother's brain. I know things now that I didn't then. But that's me and this is him and I'm beginning to understand how difficult that distinction can be at times. I know this is just the starting point, and I see we both have a lot to learn as we continue to 'grow up' together.

~Until tomorrow (and a good night's sleep): Cheers!

(all pictures are from my Grammie's house and garden)

Life is Just . . .

. . . a white, vintage ironstone bowl of cherries- bought while on vacation.

So- we are back from Seattle. Actually, we've (Husband and I) have been back for a few days, but we've been on 'vacation mode' still. Sleeping in and all that sort of thing. Boys will be back with us on Sunday, so we've been enjoying the time to ourselves.

I have so much to share about our trip and some other goings on around the household. But that will all have to come later as I want to make every minute alone with Husband count- meaning putting him to work, of course! ;) Thank you for the kind comments on the blanket in the last post- especially from those of you who are 'real sewing people'. It was well received. I can't ask for more.

Enjoy the weekend- more soon!

Cheers!

~A Blanket and Bye- Bye~

O Happy Friday!!

This last week has been incredibly busy around here- mostly because we're leaving for Seattle tonight to stay with my Grammie and Papa for nearly a week. Lots of fun with family and old friends planned, but the real trick has been just getting ready for the whole thing. This trip includes birthday gifts to bring along (my sister's, my brother-in-law's, my friend's son's), a newborn baby welcome present (more in a minute), all our luggage, bikes for the boys to ride, and a king-size iron-work bed frame which will need to be tied to the roof rack of our car (don't ask). On top of this, I've been trying to get the house in decent order to leave it (I hate coming home to a mess), desperately searching for someone to feed the cats, getting sixty bookmarks made for an event next week, and finally getting my sewing corner set up so I could bust out this . . .

This snuggly blanket was made with love for a dear friend's newborn baby girl. This is the fifth baby blanket I've made, and I've done them all in the same way: two different flannels, one yard each, sewn 'right sides' together, turned right-side out, and finished off with a bit of hand sewing of 'the hole'. Very simple, which is just what I can do. I am a very inexperienced and rather impatient sewer, so I like a project like this- Fun to pick fabrics, no cutting or measuring (yes, I'm lazy) and simply sewing straight lines. Plus, a personal handmade gift is so special, even if it is a simple handmade gift.

I so enjoy making these! They are soft and warm and I am told, hold up well to the constant washing. While the sewing machine whirs along I love to sit and give thought to the little one I am making it for. A lot of prayers and love go in to every blanket.

And the very best thing of all is actually seeing that sweet baby all swaddled in something I made- it sends my heart to the moon!

And so a card has been made-

And little Lauren's blanky is all wrapped and ready for our trip.

Can't wait to do some baby snuggling and catching up. It used to be that everyone I knew was having babies, in fact, for a couple of years there was a baby shower going on every Saturday afternoon- or so it seemed. I used to have a huge pile of baby gift bags and little clothes on hand all ready to go. Always be prepared!

Now, it's been nine years since I last had a baby to kiss and cuddle. But I don't miss it too much though. I'm all for babies when I'm not the one dealing with being up all night, changing diapers, living like a cow-on-call, etc. . . I think I'll love being a grandma some day! . . . a long time from now, of course! ;)

So, that's a bit of what I've been up to this week. Though, between all the 'getting ready to go', there has also been a lot of this . . .

. . . and this . . . . . . all due to feeling spent from the heat.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Bye-bye and I'll be back next week with all sorts of tales to tell! :)

Cheers!