Bias

making bias tape is going to be the end of me...

a little project for today...

I'm in love with this rocket fabric I got at Hip Stitch a while back, and had some leftover pieces from the quilt I'm making the baby (which is what I should have been sewing today), so I made a little tote (from my sketchy memory of the first class I took at Hip Stitch, although that one was reversible and a culmination of a few directions I found online). Next time I should probably follow a pattern. The handles are all wrong, and you can see my uneven stitches where I was trying to secure the handles a bit more. Oh well, I guess it isn't a terrible attempt for my first somewhat of a free hand approach to sewing.



And I was going to make it for my firstborn, but he informed me that he wanted Lightning McQueen on his bag. Of course.

round two...

...of sick kiddos. I thought it was just the tail end of the last cold, but the oldest ran a fever last night and it turned into a stomach bug this morning. He's been on the couch all day, and I've been juggling three kids who want one lap. Not always an easy feat, especially when you're trying to keep the other two (especially the baby) from getting it.



Fortunately the middle "baby" was ok for a brief spell rocking Ms. Lamb...

I had more ideas for my pear, but alas, it started browning and needed to be eaten.

A few more from my pear project...

Admittedly, at the beginning of the week I was thinking, "How much can I do with a pear?!" but I've really enjoyed stretching myself, and I don't think I'm ready to call it quits yet. Here's a few from this week.

Pear (deux) and a little backlighting...

Backlighting is my favorite, which means it's all downhill from here...;)

Pear

Last March I had the privilege of attending a conference with several photographers, including Richard and Amy from Red Leaf, who were truly amazing and inspirational. They had an exercise on their blog a couple of weeks ago, and while I didn't actually get around to participating in the contest, I knew I wanted to try it out eventually. So here's my first post. As a natural light photographer, I tend to put my camera away when the sun goes down, so it's a fun challenge for me to find artificial light in my home...

Pink Rose

The day after Valentine's Day might be the most common day for a rose post, but I can't help it - pink roses are my favorite...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here it is...

...with matching headband, which stayed on for a total of 5.2 minutes! ;)

I'm hoping to finish this tonight. I haven't found anything I like for my daughter to wear on Valentine's Day, so I'm making something out of one of her little bodysuits. It still needs to be stitched, and I'd like to make something to match...a headband? simple skirt?

first Valentine's party

I'm still adjusting to the fact that twice a week he does something without me. Like a Valentine's party. He passed out valentines (Spider Man - I still can't believe he chose those over Lightning McQueen!), ate the sugar cookies we baked and decorated the night before and did other stuff I don't even know about...it's still a little weird asking him what he did that day. Not being there. Not decorating the bag with him, or debating if he wants the frosted cookie or the one with sprinkles...that he has a little life without me called preschool.

catching up...

All three kids are sick...

#1 is finally getting over it aside from a cough that won't seem to go away. I can always tell he's feeling better when he starts picking on his sister again.

#2 seemed to be getting better, and then broke out with hives last night. We aren't aware of any food allergies, and when we looked it up discovered that kids can get hives when they're sick as an allergic reaction to the virus...who knew?

#3, the baby. We spent Sunday night in the ER because he was coughing so hard and seemed to be wheezing. The nurse on call recommended we head down, and we were there from 1:30 to 5:30 am. If you can help it, avoid the ER the night after the superbowl. Apparently that's their busiest night. Crazy, huh? He turned out to be ok (better safe than sorry), but the poor guy is miserable.

So we've been spending a lot of time at home. Which has its pros and cons. Yesterday our trash can arrived in the mail (not too exciting), but the box was very exciting:



Just cut out a window, add some leftover fabric, and you have an instant pirate ship, race car, and castle with a trap door. Until dad gets home and asks if it's a fort and the oldest tells him, "No, dad. It's just a box."

We're also getting some fun time to just cuddle on the couch and read. Have you seen this version of Puff the Magic Dragon? The illustrations are breathtaking! And it spins a twist on the ending: when Jackie Paper grows up, he introduces his daughter to Puff. This book tugs on my heart - not because I feel sorry for the dragon for losing his playmate (I know, heartless, aren't I?) but the idea of the little boy growing out of his imaginary friends and childhood toys. Crazy mommy hormones. ;)

nothing like an afternoon nap...

...to complete your weekend. ;)

The beginning of something...

...that I'm pretty excited about! ;)

Sometimes all you need

is a haircut to make you feel like a new woman. ;)

Winter Morning

Too bad it usually melts by noon.

Winter Blues

Two sick kids now, and a pretty blistery winter day. I welcome a colder winter, since it seems like we get so little, but we're getting some cabin fever. And I admit that when my kids are sick I'm much more lenient about video time, so it seems we've been watching Elmo quite a bit lately. This morning I decided if we couldn't venture out, we'd do something productive inside. Coloring books, pizza game, and a fun art project followed.

My friend Michele gave us a winter fun tub for Christmas with thirteen activities (and directions) wrapped up and ready to go, and it has come in pretty handy! I thought I'd share here in case anyone else needs some ideas...

1. Aprons - let your kids decorate their own aprons to use when you make cookies or do messy art activities.

2. Tissue Paper Wall Hangings - paper, strips of tissue paper and string: have your kids crumple the tissue paper and then glue it on to a design you (or they) drew on the paper. Punch holes and hang with string. We did a Hungry Caterpillar theme. ;)

3. Bank - get craft boxes and have kids paint their "bank." Cut a hole in the top and have them do chores for change.

4. Sidewalk Chalk Games - besides drawing on the sidewalk, they can color circles and hop from circle to circle (or pick colors for them to hop to), or trace an outline of their shadow and watch it move throughout the day. For snowy days like today, you could also use the sidewalk chalk on construction paper...

5. Paint and Hide Rocks - paint their rocks and take turns hiding their rock for the other to find.

6. Photo Blocks/Puzzle - create a puzzle by cutting a large photo into squares and gluing them to wooden blocks.

7. Water Music - fill glasses with various amounts of water and take turns hitting them with chopsticks to make different sounds. You can have a concert!

8. Paper Chains - strips of various colored paper: glue each piece of paper into a circle, linking them as you go (they can draw on the strips as you glue). Decorate their rooms with the paper chains.

9. Jingle Bell Shakers - paper plates, bells and strings: glue the plates together, then poke holes and attach bells. Have a concert singing your favorite songs!

10. Face Paint

11. Puppets - Martha Stewart has puppet kits at Michael's, but you can make your own using paper bags, socks - just about anything!

12. Felt Frames - another Martha Stewart kit, but popsicle stick frames would be fun too.

13. Sea Scapes - put shells, rocks and sand in a water bottle, fill about 3/4 way with water, and add 1 tsp. baby oil.

Thanks, Michele - you're a lifesaver!! ivillage has a few more ideas for fighting cabin fever. What do you do when you're stuck indoors?

Family Photo Project

I love the idea I found on another photographers' blog - doing a family self portrait once a month and journaling what's going on with your family at that time. I did a monthly self portrait last year, and it was fun to document my pregnancy, but I don't know that I could keep it up. But documenting our growing family...even just using the camera on a tripod or a snapshot at the zoo...I'm going to try to do this!


Here's our current family photo, taken by Kim last weekend.

February notes:

The baby turned two months old, and I'm starting to pack up newborn clothes, which makes my heart ache since I'm no longer saving them just in case the next one needs them. No next one. :(

Speaking of firstborns, he's been sick the past several days, which means we spend the days moping around the couch with one, two or three kids hanging on me at any given time. Part of me loves him wanting to just sit and cuddle, something normally reserved for dad, but part of me is also ready to get out of the house!!

The sandwich baby, as we call her, got a booster seat for the kitchen table. It amazes me how grown up she is getting, always wanting to keep up with big brother. She's been rebelling against the high chair for a few weeks now, so we broke down and got her a booster seat of her own.

Walt got to go snowboarding last weekend, the first time in three years since he separated his shoulder snowboarding in an attempted jump/denial of his age. Fortunately this weekend he embraced being thirty-something and didn't try any stunts.

I'm struggling a little with the fact that I have so much weight to lose after this baby. At my postpartum visit, I still have left to lose what many people gain in their pregnancy, and I'm not being very successful at doing what it takes to take weight off (my own fault). Exercise? I'm not putting my newborn in a gym nursery crawling with germs, and I think I already wrote about my adventures in a small walk to the park, so needless to say that's not going to work to get my heart rate up. Diet? I tried it for a week, honest. The "postpartum diet" from Parents Magazine. For women who apparently don't need caffeine to keep them awake at the wheel and are so emotionally strong that they don't succumb to cookie dough at the end of a long day. I planned my meals, cooked...but let's be honest, my real postpartum diet looks like this: cereal and coffee, Chick-Fil-A and coke, goldfish crackers, mac & cheese for dinner and tea in the evening. Hmmm...I wonder why I can't fit into any of my old clothes!! My solution: I'm getting my hair cut Friday, and hopefully that will take the attention off my stomach! ;)

The baby is two months old today. Unreal. The oldest was sick all weekend, and it turned into croup in the middle of the night. So after feeding the baby, I was up with him between the steamy bathroom and cold night air, all the while he kept telling me, "I'm tired. I want to go to bed. I don't want to go outside. It's cold." Then I stayed in his bed for a while just because I was worried. When his croupy cough turned into just a cough, I was able to go back to bed. And today we're sitting around at home so he doesn't get any other kids sick, and I'm trying to keep him from kissing his baby brother every five minutes so I don't have an infant with croup.

Which is why my baby is two months old in the time it seems I blinked - life doesn't slow down for you.