I'm just lazy...

I promise that I did not have the baby. I just didn't blog for a week because I literally did nothing!

I realized that I was truly dreading making the crib skirt. All of those ruffles, pulling the thread to gather and praying it didn't break on a 52 inch side...no desire. None. So I talked to my husband, and even though I had already purchased the fabric to make it, asked if it would be alright if I drove across town to the baby store and bought one. He laughed and said, "You know, there is a reason they sell those things." Thank God for him!

Here it is, on the bed. Just plain pink to match all of her sheets. I'm excited that I don't have to sew it, though I did talk myself into believing that once it was in, I'd start piecing the back to her quilt. That hasn't been done either. I should really know better.

Here is a close up of her letters and the banner from the baby showers, now hanging above her bed. I covered the letters with pieces of the bag one of my shower gifts came in. It matched so perfectly and was free!

Happy birthday

Yesterday was my birthday, and my celebration involved lots and lots of pumpkin guts. My son is too little to carve his own, so I had to hollow out and carve both the design he picked out of the book, and the design I wanted to do. About 1/3 of the way into mine I got that, "Why in the heck did I pick this one?" feeling and left out some of the details. Then, when I ran inside to grab the tripod and camera, my son grabbed the little drill tool that came in the carving kit and added an extra hole. Thanks, kid!

I usually do something more creative, and had planned on something else this year, but when it came down to it, the pregnant lady was tired and lazy. Next year it'll be awesome...maybe. I make no promises.

Burp cloths

I got these Carters burp cloths as a gift at my last baby shower, and I LOVED them. I had a lot of mom friends tell me that I'd never use them, because I'd be too afraid of my baby puking on the cute ones. This logic kind of baffles me though, because everything for baby gets puked on, pooped on, or peed on in those first few months. So should I have nothing cute for my little girl? I think not!
I set out to buy more, but couldn't find them in the stores, and the ones I found online were $10 for three. I decided that I could buy my own interlock knit at those prices and make some cute ones myself. I hit a sale at JoAnn Fabrics and was able to make all of these for less than $9!

And look how they stack up to the store bought ones! Hardly a noticeable difference! I didn't do any embroidery or applique on these ones for my baby, but I think it could be really easily done and would make them so much more gift-able!

Monday Moments

We took the kids to Bowen's Mill yesterday. I think they only do cider now, no more grain, but they did have a little museum area set up with all of the equipment. I should have taken pictures, but didn't realize until I got home that maybe Keli, and readers of her blog, would like to have seen all of that. (Keli made a miniature replica of a French grain mill that is mind blowing!)

This is the part where it's really incredible that I didn't think to take any photos of the grain stuff, because this is the lock on the door in the far right of the above picture. The door that was taken off of the old French mill. I stood there and read the whole hand written note on it, and pointed out the names scribbled on the door to my step-daughter. I turned the camera on this really intricate lock, and I still didn't think about the connection. I blame the baby.

They had more stuff, like this crazy metal slide built into a tree. It had planks of wood nailed to the trunk instead of steps. My husband had to climb up on the branches to help the kids get to the top. Gabe was seriously brave, and his sister was seriously smart, letting him be the guinea pig before she would take a chance on it.

In the end they both went down a few times. They made huge piles of leaves at the bottom while the other laboriously climbed the tree and laughed hysterically when they landed in them. It was a pretty good time, even though the quilt show they advertised (and part of the reason we went) was only about a half dozen quilts with no information on them. Hmph!


My husband requested that I replicate this one, and have in on our bed before snow flies. I laughed at him, but it was an interesting request. Who knew he liked bear paw blocks, flying geese and applique? Not that he has any idea what any of that means...

Stripped

The bookshelf is stripped and sanded with coarse paper (the before picture can be seen here). I finally got my husband to remember to pick up some finer sandpaper for me on one of his many trips to the hardware store, so I am hoping to begin painting this on Tuesday. In the meantime I'm still trying to find the finishing touches for it. I have decided that if I put it in my son's room before I complete my vision, that I will never realize it. So hopefully I find exactly what I need in the 48 hours or so it takes the paint to cure...

Monday Moments: Tuesday Edition

We spent Sunday at a local park. I wanted to get some cute fall photos of Gabe, but it was hard to do in the 80 degree weather. I couldn't even bring myself to ask him to put on his dress shirt and pretend it was cold out for a few minutes.

He wasn't really in the mood anyway. We kept getting almost cute photos like these. Where if he only would have moved two inches, or looked at the camera (and when he did look he gave the corniest fake smile), they would have been amazing.

He was nowhere near as up for posing for photos as this guy was. Ha! I was given a praying mantis in a jar by my aunt when I was little, and I've kind of been obsessed since. Don't worry, this one ended up back in the field. I may still love the bugs, but I've definitely gotten over the having them in my house bit.

Shower pics

I had my last (for this baby, and more than likely forever) baby shower over the weekend. It was fun, and exhausting, and I am so relieved that it's over! I don't have to be cute and sociable at all again until my son's birthday in November. Which is a good thing, because that isn't as easy as it was before I was 8 months pregnant.

The tables were so large that we set one up as a combination dessert and gift table. It made a great spot for the monkey treats I made, and didn't make the fact that they clashed with the ducks and elephants anywhere near obvious.

Did I mention that I'm relieved the parties are done? I now know everything I have to buy for the baby. My shopping list is, amazingly, only seven items long, and my to-do list has shrunk to three items long. I feel like I might very soon get that feeling I've been waiting on...the feeling that I'm ready for her to come whenever she is.

Almost finished!

I was able to complete the crib bumper last week, and now I am nearly finished with the baby's corner of the room! I have to make the bed skirt, and figure out some way to put her name or initials on the wall. I will still have her quilt to finish at that point, but since I made it toddler bed sized, I'm not very concerned that it be finished in the next month.

I can't get over how adorable these little Care Bears are!

My finally finished painting. I'm really, really pleased with how it came out, and imagine this hanging on her wall for years to come. Even if she doesn't end up as enamored with Care Bears as I was when I was little, it should go well with the character themed decor that my almost four year old prefers.


And in the event that you needed a refresher, or were just curious (as I was) to see how it might all look together, here the crib is with my finished quilt top. More photos of that can be found here.