The Prettiest Teacup

Just a little bit of sunshine on a gloomy day, here is my mini quilt I finally finished for my Modern Quilt Guild solids challenge.

We were given a charm pack of solid colors to do whatever we wanted with, the only rule was to use only solid colors. I’m not such a huge fan of these super saturated colors, and I left out the greys, browns, and reds, but I like the way it turned out. Except for the wonkiness. This was my first time piecing this many triangles and those wobbly bias edges got me in a few places. But I trimmed it up as best as I could without chopping off points and it lays relatively flat.

Now I am off to haul my sewing machine up to the kitchen table for more space. I have my next quilt all pieced and sandwiched together and it’s ready for quilting. I might actually get this finished by the weekend. Mad dash now!

Yesterday was bad. Gus was such a bear after his shots. Evelyn did pretty well with just the Flu vaccine but any time I got out of Gus’s line of sight it was a scream fest.

But we decided to take a gamble and go out for dinner. There is a little three-year-old girl in our community who has kidney cancer and our Culver’s was doing a benefit for her last night.  Ten percent of every purchase was being donated to her family. And Santa was there! It was so packed but we managed to grab a table and a high chair (a hot item when everyone there had kids). Everyone ate well but Evelyn could hardly stand waiting as the Big Man was only a few tables away from us. We finished eating and got into the short line to go talk to him.

She waited patiently, fingers twitching and a sweet smile on her face. When it was her turn she ran right up to him and climbed onto his lap.

Then the big question:

Santa: “What would you like for Christmas, Evelyn?”

Evelyn: “Birthday cake. A blue one. And a candy cane!”

Santa: “I think I can manage that.”

Evelyn: “Thanks.”

Then she climbed down.

She spends a good portion of her day talking about birthdays and cake. The doorbell rang a few days ago and she bolted up the stairs from the basement shouting that Santa was here for her birthday. Yesterday She came into the living room asking if Daddy’s birthday was here and looked on every surface for a cake with candles. I hope she gets that cake.

Gus had little interest in Santa but was fascinated by the two small ornament covered trees next to his chair. I had a hard time keeping him away from them and as a result I’m sure he is in several family’s pictures. Sorry about that.

I got our cards yesterday and they are already set to go to the post. I also got my quilt for my Modern Quilt Guild pieced and partially quilted for next Wednesday. Productivity win!

Happy Monday! Despite Gus getting up too early and that the sun isn’t shining, I feel like today is off to a good start. Scott would say it’s all down hill from here but I hope to maintain at this level.

I got my Christmas cards sent to the printers and they should be here by Thursday. My goal is to get them out before the weekend. I was just looking at them again this morning and realized Olive is in the picture but I forgot to put her name on them. I’ll have to get a white pen and write her in. So sorry my brown-eyed baby.

We got a tree this weekend and the house is all decorated. Only had to go to two tree farms to find it. The second one had 170 acres of trees, so if we didn’t find one it would have been our own fault. It’s a good tree. Gus is having a fun time checking everyday to see if he gets into trouble for touching the ornaments. Evelyn keeps walking around half hyperventilating, half saying “I’m so happy!” This is why we do these things.

My Dala horse is the only bit of red, but it fits.

As well as being decorated, the house is also clean so I am looking forward to getting some projects done/started today. Before the kids get shots tomorrow and things roll back down hill.

Hello! Things are just starting to move around here. Gus has been having some trouble sleeping and got up at 3 or 4 am this morning (I’m not sure which as Scott Got up with him). He tried to put him back to bed around 5:00 and the little grouch wasn’t having it so I took him into bed with me and he slept on my chest until about 7:00, at which point he rolled over and realized where he was. Then the fun started all over again. He heard Olive snoring under the bed and started calling for her (Owlie!) then started jumping up and down. I got up and took him downstairs for another round of playtime with Scott. I went back to bed until 8:30 when Evelyn started shoving my glasses in my face, telling me to get up. I think I could have slept until Sunday.

So Now I’m trying to get my day going. Gus has gone back to bed (the jet pack shirt he is wearing today, From Uncle Blake, is very appropriate) and Evelyn is working the ballerina angle this morning, which requires hair to be put up into a little tiny baby bun- you must say that last part in your highest voice with your eyes squinting and your thumb and forefinger resting on the bridge of your nose showing a minuscule distance between them.

She knows the dress is on backwards- she likes it that way.

I hope she still likes ballet in a few years because I would love to take her to some classes.

On the crafty front, I have been working on a bunch of projects at once, with not too much to show for it. Well, some things I can’t show as they are gifts. I have been doing a lot of knitting and I love it so.

Every time I pick up a ball of string and some needles I am utterly amazed that with a few different knots you can make a garment. Sewing is fun and I enjoy it but the tactile quality of knitting always makes me glow.

Currently I am knitting mittens for a Christmas countdown garland. Since I din’t start the project soon enough, I am trying to knit a little mitten every day until I have twenty-five of them. Then I will number them and knit a little mouse that will move down the mittens for each day.

As you can see, I am a little behind. I tried out a few patterns but in the end I made up my own. I’m going to try doing a few fair isle charts with some of them- snowflakes and hearts and such- but my favorite so far is the plain orange one. That wool came from a Norwegian sheep named Silje and it is so scratchy! I love the portability and warmth of these small projects and I can’t wait to show you all of them strung together!

My color choices show that I’m not into decorating with red and green so much. This year I am going with aqua blue, orange, and navy with gold. Tomorrow we are going to get cut a tree and then hopefully I can get rid of this mess of stuff just waiting for someplace to go.

I hope you have a great weekend!

I think kids are like cats in that everyone you meet is the weirdest one ever, but in different ways. I present my evidence.

Yes, that would be hello kitty stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Don’t you ride your atv in your footie jammies with your locks blowing free? The speedometer sticker on this thing reads 64. I think that is a little fast for a toy aimed at the toddler set. They can’t even count anyway. Why not 45?

That would be jelly doughnut filling used as hair styling product. And he totally did that himself. On purpose. Scoop of raspberry jelly, rub between palms, apply vigorously and haphazardly to hair. Optional: use peanut butter as texturizing balm- lasts for days as no shampoo removes it.

Unusual display of kindness and cooperation.

Maternity apron as dress.

I told her to pose for a picture and this is what I got. I think know I am in for some serious trouble in the attitude department. She asks for something and I say no and she says “Oh come on, Mom!” with an eye roll. Still only two years old, mind you.

I wish I had more pictures of her strange habits but she is a bird rarely caught on film these days. She prances around in a swimsuit as a ballerina and I often find her up on the bathroom sink holding onto the towel bar using it as a ballet barre with her legs extended high enough so she can see them in the mirror. I have watched performances of Swan lake and The Nutcracker more times than necessary this week. Swan lake is over three hours long and trying to explain the difference between Odette and Odile is futile. Poor Gus just wants to watch and episode of Dora.

She has also appointed herself ‘displays of affection’ czar. Hugs and kisses are mandatory for all who pass the threshold and if she doesn’t witness it, it doesn’t count. The meltdowns that ensue if she isn’t appeased are epic.

Well I hope everyone has a fabulous Monday. It is currently 2:49 am as I am typing this so I know mine will be stellar on 4 1/2 hours of sleep. I don’t know why I do this to myself…

Sort of. I am nursing a bad headache and two little sickies today. And it’s cold. And raining. My mind is kind of running in circles and I think I have more spinning plates than hands at the moment. Something is going to crash.

A blog post is one of those plates. I have so many things I want to talk about and then it gets away from me so then I end up having more things to talk about . Some of those things seem like they happened ages ago and I’m not sure if I want to write about them anymore. But I can’t not mention them so here goes:

The list. This is the last time I will mention this. I promise. I didn’t get many more things accomplished but hey, I’m still alive so I can still do them. And I want to.

30 by Thirty

1. Paint our bedroom
2. Sew a pair of slippers for myself (bought some at old navy that I love!)
3. Take a family trip to Chicago in the summer (Next summer!)
4. Clean the basement (Check!)
5. Get a tattoo (Still contemplating this one)
6. Frame artwork (Well, I got photos framed but not the artwork so I’m still saying Check!)Our stairway walls go up the full two stories so there is plenty of room to add to the gallery. Those baby picture canvases are 16×20 so they add a little drama. And I love their colors!
7. Have family photos taken(Check!)
8. Read at least five books (that aren’t board books)(Check!)
9. Put a fence around the back yard (We chose a swing set over a fence this year, and a new computer
10. Start savings accounts for the kids
11. Cook a new dish once a month (Check!)
12. Get a pedicure (Check!)
13. Make at least three quilts (actually finish them, binding and all) (So I made two actual quilts and two quilted table runners. Plus some potholders for a swap. I think this counts, especially since one of the table quilts was star shaped and required awkward reverese mitered corners for the binding. Check!)
14. Baby books
15. Get bangs (Check!)
16. Build a swingset (Check!)Sadly, It didn’t get completely finished this year but it is still loads of fun. This thing is huge! The base of the playhouse stands at eight feet. Those little windows need some curtains made out of this beautiful fabric by Pam.
17. Go to a waterpark (Check!)
18. Learn to shoot completely manual (Check!)
19. Figure out timer on camera to take self portraits (Check!)
20. Update my blog (not there yet…)
21. Find the perfect pair of boots ( I got some really awesome pairs but the search continues…)
22. Take a water aerobics class (I don’t think this will ever fit into my schedule until the kids can babysit themselves)
23. Finish knitting peach baby blanket (Frogged it. I couldn’t remember where in the pattern I had left off so I will start anew.)
24. Make storage shelves for the attic and cellar (Check!)
25. Finish the basement bathroom (Funding issue, not this year)
26. Wear lipstick (Check!)
27. Create an organized crafting space (Check!)
28. Swim in a lake or river(Check!)
29. Not be pregnant (Check!)
30. Climb Gibraltar Rock

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I had a great day (or couple of days after all was said and done!) I made this cake for myself and it was awesome. I will now be adding bourbon to all of my whipped cream. I love celebrating birthdays- anyone’s birthday! The bad part is I am usually having too much fun talking to people and with the general revelry that I don’t pick up my camera. Sometimes you just have to be in the moment and not behind the lens I guess.

Well, I suppose that’s enough blathering for one day. I hope to be back with a crafty update (gasp! I haven’t done that in awhile!) and a post with some kiddos. 

Today is the day. My birthday!

Thirty. Very strange, this age. During my twenties I ran a gamut of identities- fledgling collegiate fresh from my parents’ nest, to an independent young adult who could go out and spend my time sleeping and my money on libations and clothing, to a graduate, to a bride, and then to a wife and mother.

There were mistakes and regrets but that is what your twenties are for, I guess. It is strange to think about what thoughts I once had, secret reservations about the type of person I knew I had in me. How I perceived myself and what I would be at this day. I stood tip-toe on that mountain, trying to see ahead to this time but could only see glimpses and shadows through the haze below. Never could I have imagined how full my heart would be. Never would I have thought I would be waking up on this day with the warm breath of my sweet girl on my face and the boy calling for mama from his crib, a sweet husband bringing home birthday breakfast doughnuts and cheesecake.

I don’t want to make out that my life is perfect but it is more perfect than what I could have imagined ten years ago because it is here and tangible. There are struggles and difficulties but I am happy that I am present for them and I am so thankful for a family full of love and trust.

Contentment and confidence have taken seat in my mind, quietly replacing the reckless daring and self-doubt that once spoke so boldly in there. I know what kind of person I am- I am good and true, kind and loyal, and I love fiercely. I am a beautiful person. This I can see from that mountain.

This is why we have kids these days, right? To take ridiculous pictures of ourselves so we can post them to our blogs? It’s not like I need them to plow the fields or milk the cows so they better start making themselves useful around here.

Evelyn has been really interested in my camera lately so I have been encouraging her while trying to keep the costly equipment from plummeting to the tile floor. I figure who needs to learn how to use a self timer when I have a willing photographer to do my bidding. So she hasn’t learned how to focus by pressing the shutter button halfway (I’m surprised that her little finger can even reach the thing while her hand has a death grip on the camera trying to keep it steady). Who cares? The resulting photos are hilarious and she can’t stop giggling about her work when she takes a look at the pictures on the screen. Better than a tripod.

The progression (and regression, for that matter):

First shot. Trying to figure out how to look through the view finder, point the camera at mama and press the button at the same time.

Closer…

A little higher…

There you go!

Ah, her subject was distracted by naughty brother throwing mini pumpkins and indian corn while standing on the kitchen table.

Not sure where the focus was on this one. She might have said something about Dora not being on the tv anymore and thrown herself off her game. Or maybe a pumpkin was whipped at her head.

Little stick arms getting tired, cut off half of her subjects face. And she’s done.

The proud little photog.

One of those indestructible toddler cameras may be on the list for her next birthday. Which is in two weeks she keeps telling us. Sorry, honey. You have a few more months of waiting.

As you can see, I can tick off two more things on the list: getting some bangs cut and wearing lipstick. The bangs aren’t quite what I was going for but I think they’re cute, a little on the short side but I think it is better to ease into long fringe so they don’t drive you nuts. And the lipstick is my favorite I have tried so far. You know how the search for red lipstick goes. I think it is a never ending chase but this one might be it. I went into Sephora the other day and said I wanted a red lipstick that wasn’t really quite red, more coral, but not really orange, and not with too much blue in it but not so little blue that it’s brown. I didn’t want it too glossy but with a little bit of shine, not too matte, but not exactly a cream, either. These were pretty much my exact words to the sales lady, after I had spent almost an hour trying on different shades. The girl walked directly over to the counter and pulled out two shades. The one I chose is NARS lipstick in Jungle Red (described as a semi-matte bright red) and I love it.

I was feeling really good- new haircut, new lipstick. Then I got home. I walk into the house and Scott says “Oh. You got bangs.” Followed immediately by “What’s with all the lipstick?” And I’m sunk. Somedays you just have to make yourself happy, I guess.

At least Gus was fascinated by my knew look and Evelyn kept squealing that I looked like a girl. Those compliments I will take.