Sweetest Husband on Earth

I don't think I have mentioned lately just how great my husband is. Really, he is the best. I need to say that more often! Nine years ago today we had our first "date". We had met briefly once, chatted a bit online and over the phone and decided to meet. After talking for a few hours over breakfast at Village Inn I knew he was it. I didn't want him to be. It was horrible timing. I was fresh off a bad marriage, and I swore I would take some time for me. I was wounded and I needed to just be me before I jumped into anything again. One meal that sweet handsome man and I stopped thinking about timing, threw caution to the wind and dove in head first.

This morning at the daycare, when someone asked me what day it was, it hit me. Nine years! I gushed to the poor unsuspecting mom in front of me (who just wanted some time to work out and was probably thinking "shut up lady and let me get to my treadmill!") and wracked my brain trying to think of something fun to do for Jeremy. I said to my employee "I am sure he won't remember, but I would love to surprise him." At that moment, like so many times before, an urgent situation came up at the daycare and my "anniversary" went to the back of my mind. I went to put out the fire (metaphorically speaking of course). *sigh* Jeremy did remember though. He remembered AND he gave me a gift. I stood there empty handed smiling at the man who, nine years ago today, stole my heart over breakfast and fell in love all over again. I love that man.

Thanks for taking that leap with me Jeremy. I know it hasn't always been smooth sailing, but I love you more and more every day. Thank you for helping me be the person I want to be.

Stay tuned for some long over due crafty goodness. Miss Aurora will be SIX this week, and I have some fun stuff in the works. Speaking of which, I better get sewing if I am going to finish in time!

Still no crafting

But I liked this....so this is what you get. :)


And actually now that i think about it, I don't think I ever showed you the tooth fairy pillows I made. Good stuff. I shall post on that tomorrowish.

A fun contest

I am still a bit scant on the crafting, but I wanted to tell you about a fun contest. The above is a link to Fabric Bliss. The contest is for one of 5 grab bags of fabric and notions that you will have until the end of the month to make into something "apparel -ish" When you finish you send a pic to Jen and people vote on the best one. The winner gets a $100 gift card to the Fabric Bliss store! So fun!! I have signed up, and you should too!!

Big Things

There hasn't been much crafting going on here, but I did want to post about a couple of things. I know there are only a few readers here, but really, it only takes one person to make a difference so, why not!

First things first. VOTE!! Really. I have always been pretty fascinated by the democratic process, and have never missed a presidential election, but a few years ago when I saw the HBO movie Iron Jawed Angels I swore I would never miss a vote again. If you don't know the history of the suffrage movement this movie is a good intro. Anyway, even if you feel like your vote doesn't count, do it. People died to give you that right. *stepping off soap box*

Second, and really in the long run more importantly, check out Mama To Mama. I have been a long time follower of Amanda Soule. The woman is inspiring. She has a new site that encourages helping others through crafting. Awesome! This first project is making newborn baby hats for babies in Haiti. Reading the post broke my heart. How on earth in a country so close to ours can 12% of the children die before the age of 5?? That is unacceptable and lead me to a few hours of research on Haiti. It is heartbreaking. Amanda has a good point. It is easy to feel like there is no way you, just one person, could make a difference in such a grave situation, but perhaps if we all work together we can. The baby hats they are making are easy, and made from old t-shirts. If you have a sewing machine and a few extra hours (or even minutes really) do you think you could make a few? Every single hat matters. And for a few other ideas on how you can help and learn more about Haiti check here. I have been feeling so wrapped up in my life and this business and all the stuff that goes with it, I think this Mama To Mama program will be great. I think I will get my girls involved too. It is always good to have a reality check on just how little I have to complain about.

Pictures and some homespun goodness should be coming soon. I am still waiting for the charger for my camera to return from Florida.

Growing Up

Can you believe that not only did my baby start kindergarten this year, but tonight she lost her first tooth!?!? Crazy! Where did the time go??
She is so proud of this new development. She was very excited about both showing off her tooth at show and tell tomorrow, and the impending visit from the tooth fairy tonight. When I explained that the tooth fairy visit will leave her with nothing to show at school, she thought for a minute and said "Can we call her and ask her to wait until tomorrow night?" :) Love that kid. She also pointed out that it would give me time to make her a tooth pillow. Good point! Want to see my favorite part of this whole thing??
Got to love that toothless smile!

A little Break

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I post so infrequently I am always on break, but this time I actually have an excuse. Not only has life with a new business been insanely busy (really I want my life back) but last week I spent 7 glorious days on the Florida pan handle. It was heaven.....a heaven I was forced to leave against my will. *sigh* Oh to be independently wealthy. I have some cute pics from the beach, plus I have been knitting and sewing a bit. OH! And there was the haul from the fabulous quilt shop where fabric averaged $6.95/yd! Did I mention that gas was only $2.72/gallon. Heaven. Oh yes, back to the pictures, I can't find the cords/base to my camera right now. Pictures will have to wait. So to tide you over I will give you this to make you happy. (My friend Lori had it on her blog....LOVE IT!)




1.2.3.4. Lairds just back from the shore. I'll be back with pictures and maybe a quilt top or two in a few days.

A Sad Day

I don't think I will ever forget getting the call from my husband (then boyfriend) Jeremy telling me of the World Trade Center attacks. He is a journalist and told me to turn on the news. I swear I stood in that spot completely stunned for 30 minutes, unable to truly fathom what had happened. My brother is a pilot for American Airlines, and as I felt the relief in knowing he was safe, my heart ached for all the families and friends that lost someone. Seven years. Wow. There have been so many changes in our world in that seven years. It is a different world in many ways. I miss the world we had before. I miss September 11th being just another day on the calendar.

To add to this sad day early this morning my Grandma passed away. She was my last surviving grandparent. She was a very private person and even though she was a hard person to know I loved her, and I will miss her. I have fond memories of our summer visits to Grandma and Grandpa's beautiful home near Portland Oregon. We went to the beach, visited the state park near their home and enjoyed the amazing meals she would prepare for us. Grandma showed her love by cooking. She was an amazing cook. She also had a great sense of humor. Her life was spent as a devoted wife and mother. We lost my grandpa 4 years ago, and I know she missed him. They were a matched set, and life was hard without her best friend. She was ready to go, and I know she is at peace. As I sit here looking at the half finished quilt top that I had intended to finish for her birthday last month, I wonder why I always think there will be more time. I got busy, and it was set aside. I'm sorry Grandma. I should have made the time. I love you.
My Grandma and Grandpa on their 60th Wedding anniversary 10 years ago


Totally unrelated note

**This month Nascar is doing a promotion with the National Marrow Donor Program. Many people with life threatening diseases are waiting for a bone marrow donor. If they do not have a suitable match within their family, they rely on the Bone Marrow Registry. Getting on the Registry is simple, but you usually have to pay $52 for the tissue-typing kit. Thanks to Nascar's generosity, if you sign up before September 22nd they will cover that cost! Check out the site and send for your kit.**

Labor Filled Labor Day

It seems there is no rest for the weary. LOL We took advantage of the three day weekend and gave the daycare a little face lift. What do you think?? **WARNING- Picture Overload**

New Signs! Still a work in progress.
The Reception Desk/area
Hand print trees. We repainted the trunks brown (they were teal) and added the green leaves.
Shot of the daycare from the desk.
View from the back.

Pretty much every surface has been repainted. It was A LOT of work. There were some 18 hour days in there. It was a little like the birthing kind of labor, hard while it was happening, thinking there was no way it would ever be over and we were sure we had made a HUGE mistake, but now that it is over we LOVE our baby. :)

Now on to tomorrow......my little Aurora is starting Kindergarten! I'll try to post pics.

Absentee Blogger

Three weeks. Wow. I have to say that my life has been turned pretty much upside down in that three weeks. I haven't sewn in ages. I have gifts that need to be mailed, and I am behind in pretty much everything that has anything to do with keeping house. When I do find a spare moment I end up day dreaming about knitting a pair of socks or sewing the binding on a quilt. Relaxing things. Things that calm me. Things I love. Then I am jolted back into my hectic reality that leaves little time for such luxuries. *sigh* Good things are happening though. Exciting things. The down side is that often good and exciting things require a lot of effort.

I am not sure if I ever mentioned it here, but last November I started working at a small daycare close to my house. I was considering going back to work, but before I took the plunge I thought it might be good to find a nice transitional job to test the waters. The daycare serves a gym, but also provides hourly drop in child care to the general public. It doesn't pay much and I wasn't working many hours, but it was nice to have extra money to spend on my expensive fabric and yarn habit. Since I could bring the girls with me it didn't take much away from my home time either. Well, three weeks ago when a coworker confided that she was considering taking over operation of the daycare and was a bit overwhelmed, I asked if she had considered taking on a business partner. The was the beginning of a whirlwind of events. We have now formed our own little company and we are days away from taking over operations. This has been A LOT more work than I had anticipated, but I think our hard work will pay off. We have taken on a brand new staff, made a few small cosmetic changes (with bigger and better ones on the horizon) and put blood, sweat and tears (not to mention our hearts and souls) into this. So many emotions have come into play. First, this is just plain scary, but it is also fun and exciting. I have seldom been so stressed and exhausted, but it is a bit exhilarating taking your future into your own hands. I also feel really good about what we want to provide to the community. And hey, if you know anyone looking for reliable drop-in or part-time child care, send them my way! :)

All of this basically boils down to the fact that I miss you internet. I will be back though, I promise. It just may be a little slow going for a while. I have some WIPs that I have to get done ASAP, plus I have been feeling the knitting bug biting, so perhaps I will finally finish a few things that have been on my needles for far too long and even though I swore I would never do it, I suddenly have the urge to knit a pair of socks! Why?? Who knows, I am not a sock person at all, but this technique intrigues me. Turning the heel looked entirely too complicated since I seldom wear socks it didn't seem worth the effort, but who knows. Stranger things have happened. I will try to check in soonish, and if any crafty fun sneaks into my life it will be properly photographed and posted....unless I forget. I promise to try not to forget. :)

See you soon!

With my freeze ray I will.....

I should be sleeping. Really, I am exhausted. Want to know what I have been doing for the last few hours instead??? Trying to find the components for a Dr Horrible costume. Why?? Because I am obsessed! What is Dr Horrible?? Joss Whedon of Buffy and Firefly fame made a 3 part "sing-along blog" for the internet. It is awesome! Act 1 debuted on the internet July 19th, and I have been hooked! I even bought it on itunes when it was no longer available on the website, which is really why I hadn't mentioned it. By the time I thought to talk about it the free option had been taken down....but it's back!!

The above picture is a link. Once you are there, click on "watch it right now". I am not sure how long it will be there for free. Go, quick, you won't regret it I promise. It is 42 minutes well spent. You can come back and thank me later. Then you too can spend countless hours trying to find that lab coat (and singing the addicting songs). To save you all precious time and sleep I did find the goggles, boots, and gloves. I think I will have to sew the coat myself. Perhaps modifying a chef coat pattern. Will Jeremy actually wear this costume?? Probably not, so plan b will be for me to be Dr Horrible. Anyone know where I can get a Neil Patrick Harris wig??

Back to my roots

Okay, so I think I have had enough of the travel pics. They are just making me wistful for the carefree vacation days and I haven't got the time to be wistful! So how about I show you some of my recent projects?

This is a quilt I did to celebrate the birth of my new niece Caroline. I didn't get it done before we left, but somehow I had images of me sewing this in the KOA's we were staying at on the way to PA. What was I thinking?? I had planned on taking a lovely picture of it among the mountain laurel or other beautiful sites, but it was rainy and I was swollen, and really the best I could do was the industrial carpet of the cabin. *sigh* I didn't get a chance to do a label, so I will have another chance to properly document this quilt. I did the disappearing nine patch and was really pleased with the result. I am sure I will use that block again.

While I was in Ontario, there was another addition to my family. Little Jonas was born on June 23rd (grandchild #20 on my side of the family). One of the first things I did after coming home was to go and meet this sweet little man and then I had to get working on a quilt for him. It is still in progress, but the top is completed. I just need to go and get some batting to finish it up. Truthfully, I am still on the fence with this one. I am not sure I like the border. I do think that the dark brown binding will tie it in, but I don't know. What do you think??

Last but not least, a few weeks ago on a blog I read I saw a sneak peek of a little girl nursery done in a cup cake theme. It was SO cute that I knew I needed to do a quilt with the same theme. Janelle was still here then, so when we were visiting a local quilt shop and I saw cup cake fabric I was off and running. Again, this is just a top right now.
(please ignore the wrinkles and threads in the second pic, I wanted you to see the cuteness of the cupcake fabric) I was going to keep it as is, but I might add a border.....maybe. I like the simple pink and white, but I think adding some brown might be cute. A border?? Yes...no?? I think this will be going to my little niece Josie (grandchild #14 on Jeremy's side) who will be making her grand appearance in September. Lucky me I get to go to the white sand beaches of Florida to deliver it to her! :)

I am now back to working on my grandma's quilt. I have had a bit of quilter's block trying to get this one done. I was trying to add in some vintage embroidery of hers, but it just wasn't coming together, so I have gone back to basics. I REALLY wanted this to be done before her birthday next week, but that is a lofty goal....especially without my handy quilting assistant Janelle. (she cut out both Jonas and Josie's quilts) I will keep you updated on the progress.

Did I say a picture a day?

I so totally meant one every so often as time permits. Yeah, sorry about that. So here is today's installment.

Aren't these dresses cute?? Janelle's sister Colleen made the pattern and cut them out, Janelle pieced them, and Sandra, Janelle's mom, finished them. The girls looked so cute together in them. The above picture was taken on the Anne of Green Gables bridge. You know, the bridge at the end with Gilbert?? Yes, that bridge.

Janelle out did herself and made a little wardrobe of matching clothes for all the girls. Though I think we mey have looked like a polygamist family when we went to the zoo with all the kids. Think 3 women, 5 kids all in coordinating dresses, and one lone man. Good times!

I would say tune in tomorrow, but really, let's face it, I can't promise that. So tune in soon for more pics. A quilt or two perhaps??

Trek East

To drive to Pennsylvania I had to drive across seven states in 5 days. Since Jeremy could only take a week off work, I followed my parents out. It was less expensive than 3 plane tickets especially since we avoided hotel costs staying in my parents RV. It was a lot of driving, and I was alone with my kids in the car. Luckily the scenery made up for it a little. I made sure to take pictures in every state. Well, every state but one. Since Eve was vomiting much of the first day taking pictures was a low priority. So you are missing Wyoming. Wyoming is a state with some breath taking scenery, but if you have ever driven from Evanston to Cheyenne you know that you aren't missing anything. If you haven't made that drive trust me. So we will start with Nebraska:

Iowa

Illinois

Indiana

Ohio

Pennsylvania


It was such a beautiful drive. I was sad to see it end. ;) My favorite souvenir of the drive?? The additional 2 inches that was added to my ankles. Apparently my ankles don't travel well. LOL

Back to normal

*sigh* My vacation is now officially over. Janelle is gone. :( As I drove away from the airport fighting tears Aurora announced "It is hard having nice friends, you miss them too much when they leave" Perceptive. Goodbyes are never fun, but I have the best BFF in the whole world, and I'll take the sad goodbyes and keep her as a friend. (I might also encourage her to move to Utah.....great hair, great fabric, fabulous late night sewing buddy....what more could you ask for??)

If there was a way to capture the whole Ontario/Utah adventure I think it would be this:

















When we got to Utah we established a pretty consistent late night dessert routine. We would sew, watch Big Love and some hilarious local mormon movie and eat treats. Usually ones covered in Cool Whip. The treats (like this trip) looked excessive and indulgent when on the plate, but ended way too soon. If I could make my eyebrows do that I would be sporting the look in that second picture right now.

I will have to drown my sorrows in new fabric...... new fabrics and pomtinis. Fabric makes me happy. The other day we just happened to hit The Whimsy Cottage moments after several new lines of fabric were put out. It was amazing! To keep ourselves disciplined we only bought fat quarters.....lots of them! This will be a yearly ritual. Remember that fabulous birthday quilt Janelle made me?? It was a result of last year's Whimsy Cottage raid. I could live at that store....and since it is for sale I am considering it!

I was looking for a pic of Janelle and I together, but I don't think we got one! How did that happen?? I do have 6 weeks worth of vacation photo's though....I also have the crafty spoils of spending time with Janelle. Would a picture a day for the next week or so be fun?? It would for me, and since it is my blog we'll do it. So tune in tomorrow-ish.

Back as promised

I am stuffed. Dinner was SO good! We went to the Senora Grill. It is a new restaurant that is part of The Junction development in Ogden. The menu is authentic Mexican food with a lot of yummy, and surprisingly healthy choices. The guacamole was excellent, and they prepare it for you right at the table. The literal icing on the cake was when they gave me a free dessert for my birthday. I have no idea what this delicious concoction was called, but it involved fresh mangoes, vanilla whip cream, and tiny fried tortillas dipped in cinnamon sugar. YUM! I guess there are perks to turning 30 (well, I think I would have gotten the dessert anyway, but I need to work THIRTY in there some how...) So go to Senora Grill. Good stuff. I hadn't planned on the free dessert, so there was pie waiting for us after dinner, and who turns down pie?? If there was ever an occasion for 2 desserts, I think it is your 30th birthday. :) We ate up the fresh strawberry, but there is still some razzleberry left. Breakfast perhaps??

Now to the pictures. I didn't really open any gifts today. I did open a few cards, including a few really great home made pop up ones from the girls. Janelle gave me my gift while I was in Canada. Her family had a little birthday celebration for me, and they wanted to see me open the gift. Janelle told me she would not make me a quilt this year for my birthday (she did last year), but she lied....and what is even better is that in honor of our 2 year BFFiversary she made herself a matching one. So my quilt has a twin in Canada. Isn't it amazing?? I love it. It is on my lap right now. Yes, I know it is 100 degrees outside (about 38 for you celsius folks), but air conditioning can feel a bit chilly.....plus it is very cute and I like to look at it. :) It is made out of fabric that she bought on her trip out last year, and some I sent to her a few months ago. I love it. Plus it has a neato label. Thank you Janelle. You are the best BFF a girl could ask for. As an added bonus your family is pretty cool too. I should have taken a picture of the Coffee Crisps your mom bought me. They are yummy and I love them too!

Jeremy's birthday was while we were back east. We actually had a really great day at the Statue of Liberty, but since we were across the country we didn't do gifts. He decided it would be fun for us to have his and hers bikes, so when I got back from Canada I saw this. Yes, it is a pink cruiser and I love it. I even got a pink helmet to go with it. YAY!! Do I look a bit ridiculous on it?? Probably. Do I love riding it?? Absolutely. Thanks baby! You do know me. I should also mention the 2 dozen roses he brought home today. Yeah, he's a pretty nice guy.

Happy Birthday to me!

I will blog with pictures later today, I promise. I want to show off my birthday presents! (Janelle made me a quilt you will all be jealous of, and my pink bike might just be the cutest bike ever) Until then, I have the sweetest little sister in the whole wide world. Really, she is great! She did a whole blog post to me, and I love it! You should read it. It says I am pretty so it is OBVIOUSLY true, and without bias! :)

Checking In

This blog has been on my mind daily for the past three weeks. Initially, I couldn't bump Aaron down. I will admit that is still on my mind. Life goes on, but I can't help but feel bad about that. It seems so cruel, I need it stop.....even if it is just for a few minutes. *sigh*

Life has been non stop. On June 7th, I packed up my kids and, following my parents RV, set off on a cross country adventure. Forty minutes in I hear the words no parent wants to hear while embarking on a 5 day drive. "Mommy I throwed up!" Poor Eve was such a little trooper though, and we made it through. Things seem to have come full circle now. I am on the last leg of my trip in Toronto, Ontario visiting a friend, and I am sick. The yucky, I want my mommy and my own bed kind of sick. The good part is that I have more help with my kids than I ever would at home. The bad part?? Lots and lots of vomit. I think I am on an upswing now (fingers crossed).

I have so much to tell and show you. When I left I had decided to switch my crafty focus to a travel focus and take you along for the ride. I haven't been able to orchestrate that, but I have pictures and stories to tell. They will have to wait though. The thought of leaving this comfy couch to find my camera is far to overwhelming. They will come soon. I promise.

Loss for words

I have been trying to write this post for about 3 days. I am just at a loss for words. That beautiful woman that you see is my friend Aaron. We have been internet pals for over 2 years. We met when she was in the midst of a personal tragedy. I thought I could help her through it, and while I think I did do that, in the end she helped me more than she will ever know. Even though she lived 2 states away I was lucky enough to spend a little bit of time with her in person. What an amazing spirit! Through email, phone calls and in person visits, I came to love this vivacious, fun, and intelligent woman. She was amazing and she did things that I was/am too scared to do (like finish college while raising babies). She was incredibly talented and full of life. This woman could do anything.....play the piano and organ, scrap book, sew, paint, cook, teach etc etc etc. She was also the mom to three sweet little boys. You can only imagine how excited I was when she let me know her husband got a job less than 30 min from me! She was just waiting to finish out her first year of teaching before she moved out. Last weekend she finally embarked on her move. Sadly, her journey was cut short when their car was involved in a roll over accident and she was killed. I honestly still cannot believe it. Twenty-five year old mothers of three young children should not die.....ever. It seems so unfair that this incredible person's life was cut short. It is unfathomable that three little boys will have to grow up without their mother. I am just unspeakably sad, and I miss my friend. I hope she knew that even though I wasn't always great about keeping in touch, her friendship meant a lot to me, and I was so excited to spend time with her. She could light up a room, even with an email. I hope her boys will always know just how much their mom loved and adored them. I loved that in the midst of extraordinary mischief Aaron always thought to get out the camera. I can't help but smile when I think about pictures of Ben and Sam covered in flour, or all three of them caked in mud. Even when at the end of her rope, she saw the humor, and took a picture. Aaron- I will miss those emails and blog posts. I will miss your bright smile and encouraging words. I will miss the play dates, girls nights out, and crafty days we had planned. I have told you before that you inspire me. That hasn't changed. Your life may have been short, but it was filled with purpose. You left quite a legacy and touched so many lives. I hope at the end of my life I will have accomplished as much. Goodbye friend. I miss you.

Brain Dead

Those of you who know me really well, know that I seldom go very far without my laptop. I frequently refer to it as my brain. Well, my poor little brain has decided it no longer wants to charge and it has left me essentially brain dead. I am hoping to have things up and running soon.....I need my laptop! I really like to have a picture with my posts, but now I really have nothing accessible. There will probably be very little blogging done until I get my brain back. This will teach me to live a virtually paperless life with EVERYTHING (and I do mean everything) stored in one place!

In a quick slightly Twilight related mention. Stephenie Meyer's first non Twilight book, The Host, was released a couple of days ago. It isn't YA like the Twilight Saga, and I think her writing has really come a long way (yes, even me the rabid Twilight fan can understand some of the criticism. The captivation story over came the writing flaws for me). Recommending books is always a gamble, but I loved this book.......I couldn't put it down. It is a love story with a sci fi spin (I am not usually a sci fi fan) Oddly enough, it was a deeply human story even though the main character was an alien. I might even like this one better than Twilight. I am not sure yet. I inhaled the book and am hoping she continues on this story. Anyway, if you were on the fence about checking out The Host, just take the plunge. I don't think you will regret it.

Six Years

*sigh* What a nice weekend. We had a great time. Nice hotel, beautiful locale, time alone with my love, great food, and eating creme brulee with 2 meals in a row. Yes, I ordered the creme brulee at dinner, then the next morning at brunch I was elated to see a virtual mountain of creme brulee. I was proud of myself for stopping at one...it was all you can eat. Now, that is self control! LOL


The past 6 years have sure been a whirlwind. In so many ways it seems like yesterday and in others I cannot remember my life before Jeremy and my girls. We have been so blessed. It hasn't all been easy, but I cannot imagine a happier life. Thanks for a great 6 years babe! Here's to many, many more!

(oh, you may have noticed my new Twilight Countdowns. Yeah, yeah, yeah it is YA romantic fiction about vampires, but I am smitten!! In fact I am a bit of a fanatic! I will warn you that there are several Twilight related events coming up, so there might be a bit of Twilight gushing in the next few months....fair warning for all you Twilight haters. LOL)

Itty Bitty Baby Dresses

I got a brand new little niece yesterday and while i am working on a quilt for her, I really wanted to have something for her now. (plus I have lots of scraps from the Juliana quilt, and I just LOVE that color combination) I got this tutorial from Sew Mama Sew's Create and Celebrate, it is really fun and easy, and the pattern is free at Made By Rae. I made 2 because I have a pregnant SIL that had an ultrasound that said it was 60% chance it was a girl (my friend said that sounds like a weather forecast! LOL) My BIL had sent and email saying it was 80%, but apparently he misspoke. I will wait for another couple of days for the definitive 20 wk ultrasound just to be sure. The exciting part is that I get to go meet both of these little girls! We are going to spend a month back east for a family reunion in Pennsylvania and for me to visit my BFF in Canada next month! YAY!! Then in October we get to got to the awesome white sand beaches of the Florida panhandle! So nice. There is a beach house with my name on it, just waiting for me. *sigh* Lots to look forward to.....speaking of which, I have to go. I need to get that dress in the mail before my husband spoils me at a 5 star hotel! Tomorrow is our 6th anniversary.

I'll try to update next week. I have to show you the quilt I am working on for my grandma. I love the thought of the multi-generational sewing project, I am not sure of how it is coming together, and I need some honest opinions. Enjoy your weekend!

****Oh, and notice the button on my sidebar. Tangled and true will have 5 Mother's Day giveaways next week. They always have great stuff, so you want to check this out!****

Finished!!

This quilt really should have been done ages ago, but some fabric delays, mono, and a bit of sewing avoidance held off the finished project. It is now all done and not a moment too soon since it is for a birthday that is rapidly approaching!! Now, to just get it in the mail. I hate the post office!

I am in love with the fabrics, but I am still deciding if I like the back. I think I do, maybe..... well it is done and washed and sitting with the sweet doll quilt all ready to go. I should have probably waited to post until after the package had arrived, but this is going to my younger sister's daughter. Natalie and I are almost incapable of keeping secrets from one another. Really, we even told each other what we were getting for Christmas. It is a disease! LOL So she would have seen it anyway.

I was at my parents today and my mom showed me a stack of old cross stitches that my grandma did. I will see if I can photograph them tomorrow. The great thing about them, is that they were originally stenciled by my great grandmother but she never got to them. My grandmother completed the embroidery, but never did anything with them. My mom saved them from being donated, and now, I want to finish them. Multi generational crafting! I love it!! I had already started working on (read: began to cut out squares) a quilt for my grandma (for Mother's day??) and am thinking I will incorporate one of the designs into the quilt. Even though there are 5 designs, they don't really go together all that well, so I think they will all need to be separate projects. Any brilliant ideas on how to incorporate a 15"x22" cross stitch into a quilt? I'd love to hear some ideas!!

Sweet Eve

Since the birthday, bike and mono all belonged to my sweet little girl I thought I would give her a post of her very own.

First of all she celebrated her 3rd birthday!! She has been a bit jealous of her older sister's two wheeler, but we just didn't feel like she was quite ready for that, so we got her this sweet little Boot Scoot bike. It is basically just a two wheel bike without pedals. The kids learn to balance on the two wheels without having worry about the pedals too. This style of bike has been in Europe for years, but is just starting to make it's way into the US.
She just adores it and asks to ride bikes almost every day. That has been hindered a bit by illness. Eve has been running fevers for about a month (remember the febrile seizures a while back?) I wasn't too worried, but they seemed to be getting higher, and lasting longer. When she decided she wasn't going to walk anymore I got her right into the pediatrician. Infectious Mononucleosis. *sigh* We actually think Aurora had it too, but she stayed with the typical response for young children, and just seemed to have a bad cold (and some REALLY funky looking tonsils). The pediatrician said that this was the most severe case of mono he has seen in a little kid. This is basically what we saw of Eve for 2 weeks. (unless it was after 1 am then it was just a lot of screaming and refusing to sleep in any position that wasn't on mommy's chest in the recliner or on the couch)

She is still a bit more tired that usual, but is just now starting to sleep through the night again. Even better, she seems to have her manners back. I was sure she had been taken by aliens and replaced with a child that was just as cute as my baby, only this child spoke only in a mime/screaming/ASL hybrid that was very hard to decipher causing wide spread frustration. She did maintain her honesty though and one night when I asked her if I could take her to her room without all the screaming she replied "No mom, I still scream." How can you not appreciate such candor? :)

Evie, I have no idea what our family did without you! You are such an incredible little person. Smiles seem to follow where ever you go and really, their isn't a sound in the world sweeter than your little voice. There is no one so quick to hug, kiss, snuggle and apologize. Aurora couldn't have asked for a better side kick, oh the adventures you two create! You have been a sweet surprise from the moment you gently came into my world. I can't wait to see what you have waiting for us tomorrow!

I love you!!!

This was taken just a moment ago. Jeremy went to a work party and since I am feeling under the weather (please not mono, please not mono, please not mono) I stayed home with the girls. Being a Saturday night I agreed to let them stay up late so they could enjoy the brownies they made with daddy. Eve disappeared and Aurora came running in to me as I was writing this post. "Mommy, Eve looks so cute! Get the camera!" How could I refuse? Here she is sleeping in their doll cradle.

Finished Project!!!

Okay, I have A LOT of updating to do with you all, but that will require a bit of time that I just don't have right now. I do, however, want to share with you a pic of the doll quilt I finished today. This, and a coordinating bigger quilt, are in celebration of my niece Juliana's 3rd birthday. She adopted an old quilt of her mama's and it is just falling apart. I decided she needed one of her very own!! Her quilt is nearing completion, so you will see that soon. I hope this tides you over until then.



The selvedge back was inspired by Jodie at Ric-Rac. you have to check her out! She has THE cutest little dolls she sells on etsy. I love her blog! I am so happy with how this little quilt turned out. I am thinking about making a few little doll quilts to sell on etsy. They are fun and quick and SO cute! I am not sure they would have selvedge backs... but they would be cute! What do you guys think??

Oh, and as a sneak peek to the upcoming update, here is the working title: NOT Moving, Birthday, Bike, and Mono. :)

Quilt Giveaway!

Dana, over at Old Red Barn is giving away a quilt to celebrate her 200th blog post! The quilt is amazing and made from one of my FAVORITE fabric lines, Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt. She is also going to give away two $35 gift certificates to her natural body care product company Old Red Barn Co. All you have to do is comment on her blog! Click on the little button on the left and it will take you right to the post!! The contest ends Wednesday, March 19th at 7:00pm EDT. So hurry on over!

Good luck (but I really want this..... perhaps I should rethink telling all my friends!)

*sigh of relief*

I heard back from the pediatric neurologist. He called me a few minutes after my last post. Eve's EEG came back looking normal! Can you feel the weight lifting!?!? I am SO relieved. He did say that we aren't in the clear yet. Her headaches are reason for concern, and we need to watch that. She will be on seizure watch for at least the next 3 months, and we have a long list of seizure precautions (most of which do not apply to a 3 year old! No skiing for Evie!) We also cannot go anywhere more that 15 min away from an ER with out medication that can stop a seizure. He feels comfortable taking a wait and see approach, and I am happy with that.

All in all, it is the best news I could receive. I think for the first time in a week I might be able to sleep without 15 trips to check on my sweet girl.

The Waiting Game

I know I have all but abandoned my blog. I had such great hopes for March. The grand opening of my Etsy store, 2 quilts, some long over due gifts, and some fun stuff for me. That has all been put on hold. Technically, I could still be sewing, but somehow I became totally paralyzed dealing with a couple of events.


First, there is the looming possibility of a move to Washington State. With that comes needing to sell a home in an unfavorable market, and loads of stress. Just thinking about it makes me want to sit on the couch and eat some ice cream (I did do that for a few days) We should be making a decision in the next week or so.


Second, last week was a rough one for us. My kids have been battling colds and fevers for a bit, but on Monday night when I went to check on my youngest, Eve, she was having a seizure. Now, intellectually I know that febrile seizures are relatively common in small children, and not particularly worrisome, but when a mother sees her child having a seizure it is hard to not be very worried. I called our nurse line and they wanted me to take Eve to the ER. So I get her dressed and in the car and head to the hospital. Jeremy stayed home with a sleeping Aurora. When I was about half way there she started to seize again. SO SCARY!! Now, after a visit to the ER, a pediatric neurologist, our pediatrician, and a battery of tests, we are hoping it is nothing, but still waiting on the results from her EEG. I guess the fact that she had two back to back is cause for concern. Also concerning is that she has started to complain of headaches. We were supposed to have the test results Monday, but they are running behind, so we won't know for a few more days. This wait is excruciating. I don't even care about the job, or the move, or making quilts. I just need them to tell me that my baby is fine. The sooner the better!

So there is my excuse. I will update about both the move and Evie soon (I hope). I hate the waiting game. The worst case scenarios in my brain need to be stopped! In the mean time, I will try to convince myself that being busy would be best, and will have a few completed projects to share soon.

Pay It Forward

My friend Lisa had this on her blog. I promised to post this last week.....oops! Sorry Lisa! Better late than never right??? --it's called "Pay It Forward". Here's how it works:

“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward (PIF) exchange. You may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, which is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”


I wanted to see how long this has been making the rounds and I was able to go back almost a year!! So let's keep it going!! One problem, I can't decide what I am going to make. A purse?? (scroll down for pictures) A pillow?? A surprise?? I'm not sure. (do you have a preference?) It will be good I promise! Anyway,I will make something for the first 3 people who comment if you just pledge to pay it forward on your blog too. I think I can beat the 365 day deadline.....I will shoot for a month. :)

***ETA I think maybe the "handmade" might put people off, but be creative!! One of the PIF's I came across was offering cookies and brownies. YUM!! So this doesn't HAVE to be something sewn....just something from you! :)***

Nine patch pillow

9 patch pillow
Originally uploaded by nic7978.

What do you think of my new pillow?? Well, it isn't really mine. My mom wanted a pillow to match her new quilt. Why turn down a fun new project?? This block is called a disappearing nine patch. I got the idea over at Sew Mama Sew's Quilt Month. This a variation of a nine patch, and even though it looks complex, it is really simple. It was fun to make and I now plan on making a whole quilt in this pattern. If you click on the picture it will send you over to flickr where you can see the back. (it's cute too!!)

WINNER!!!!

We have a winner. And the results have me about to pee my pants laughing. Why, you ask?? Well, I notice it is midnight, so I close the comments on the giveaway and am totally dumbfounded by the 137 comments. I mean really.....137!?!?! I have never had more than 8 comments! Anyway, I head on over to random.org and press "get numbers".

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

107

Timestamp: 2008-02-03 07:02:27 UTC

I count down the list of comments to #107 and land on none other that may fabulous BFF Janelle, who I had to talk into entering! Honestly, what are the odds of that?? (yes, i know 1 in 137....leave me alone. It is a figure of speech) She also made some ridiculous requests, that because I love her I will do my best to accommodate! How much to you think it will cost to ship a pony to Canada??? :) The good news for all of you is that Janelle is allergic to dairy and cannot drink my lovely hot cocoa so I decided to pick another name as well. (besides, it does look a little suspect)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

82

Timestamp: 2008-02-03 07:18:18 UTC

So my other winner is Natalie! You guys have to go check out her etsy shop Ear Candy. There is some seriously cute stuff in there......I love the Twilight earrings. I wonder if it is named after the book.....that would make me love them even more!! Anyway, Natalie will get the hot cocoa and also some coasters.

Bloggy Giveaway Goodness!!

Okay, I have been sucked into the giving. I had decided not to, but then I was entering all these contests and I realized I was being really selfish! I am not selfish (normally!) so I will have a giveaway too. What will you get??? Well, there was no prior planning, so you get what I am currently doing....coasters! Good thing they are cute! LOL So if you win, you will get a set of 4 coasters and a container of Stephen's Hot Cocoa (locally made, and I adore it!) I am feeling generous, so it is open to everyone (yes, that means you international giveaway people!)



How do you enter?? Just comment on this post by midnight on Saturday February 2nd. Easy peasy! Make sure that there is a way to contact you...ie blog or email. I will hold my drawing (via random number generator) on Sunday, February 3rd sometime. Probably during the endless amount of football going on. I will post (and contact) the winner by Monday.

There are loads of things being given away, just click the link above and join in the fun!