sara with camera

Baby Quilt & some madness

I made this yesterday.  I haven't really ever used white in a quilt before.  I usually go crazy with the colors, but noticed that my favorite quilts made by others had much white so here's my first go at it.  I kind of love it and even Chris said he liked it (unsolicited). 

Complete change of subject:

No one ever asks me what my job is, but if anyone ever gets around to it, I am going to say, "maid."  That's what I feel like lately.  Everyday I wash dishes I didn't dirty (by hand, of course); pick up, wash, & fold clothes I didn't wear; sweep; vaccuum; dust (complete waste of time here); and clean toilets (the absolute best part of being a maid).  When I was growing up, I never thought, "I'd like to be a maid."  Lawyer- yep.  Teacher- yep.  Maid- no.  I didn't even ever imagine I'd be a stay-at-home mom.  I should write that, surprisingly, it's grown on me and I love it!  But I don't.  I hate it.  I want a job.  I haven't had a job for so long now that I am afraid I'm becoming like those prisoners who commit a crime as soon as they're released because they want to go back to the life they know even if it's a life of confinement.  What if I finally get one (pipe dream, I know), and I subconsciously sabatoge it because I want to go back to stay-at-home jail?  Ok, so I'm probably not there just yet. 

It made me think.  I'm trying so hard to make sure the boys have a good education and learn scriptures, use *some* manners, and all those things parents are supposed to do.  I fail a lot, sure, but I think they'll turn out just fine.  And then I realized that my parents did that for me too (and probably better): good schools, church, and whatnot.  I turned out fine (I think).  But, it's not enough.  I am a maid. 

And that's not the problem...or it shouldn't be.  A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs or as Matti called it last week Robert 17:22).  I should be lysoling pee off the toilet with a cheerful spirit and then maybe being a maid wouldn't be so bad.  ...Then there's the whole being grateful for what I have bit that's important.  So I don't have a job, but I do have so many other blessings: two healthy, smart boys; a pretty sweet husband (while he may not clean toilets, he does grill & bathe kids half of the time) most of the time; other family & friends, a great camera, warm weather, amazing food here, and nice shoulders...so why am I not happy?  Why can I not seem to revel in my blessings and hand wash dishes cheerfully?  I think it might be because I feel like I have little purpose after all (or I've missed it because of some rotten big or small decision along the way or maybe lots of them). - sara

Last Week

This is a completely random post- just a re-cap of last week.  Last week kicked my ass (I don't use foul words on the blog- unlike in my everyday speech, but "butt" or "rear" really just wouldn't cut it).  Knowing that spring break was around the corner was about the only way I made it.  I need this school- free week (so it's not completely school-free...the boys will be in care tomorrow and Tuesday and I'll be catching up on reading the whole time). 

  
Last Friday night...Matti fell asleep on the couch.  So sweet. 

  ...and then it wouldn't be a real week these days without breaking out the camera for a sign...

 
   
 
And I got the toddler quilts (made from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane) finished- but before that I had another little triumph: I ran my 3rd annual St. Pat's Day 10K with Katherine.  She thought the start was at 1:30 (I didn't even bother to look), but they took off 15 min. before that.  We showed up sometime in between, noted that the starting line was ghost-like, asked one of the few folks hanging around and she confirmed that we had missed the gun.  It was kind of fun.  I love passing folks and we got to do a bit of that and no one passed us.  Even though it was just six miles, it was a hard run for me and though usually 6 miles is nothing, after crossing the finish line I felt like I had actually accomplished something.  

  
Feeb and Brittany are expecting twin girls (or they're already here and we just haven't heard yet?) and so the two on the right are for them.  The one on the left is a gamble.  If other Brittney has a girl- it goes to her.  It's just easier to make them all at the same time.  I revolutionized my process this go-round.  I went with bigger blocks and longer sashing which eliminated about 2/3 of the cuts and stitching.  I'm not a process quilter (I wasn't a process knitter either, but I think I'm straddling the line now...getting into the bigger projects [might even make an adult sweater or something someday??])

Once the quilts were out of the way, I attacked the house and it's pretty-much clean.  I didn't get my run in or the dog bathed (God knows she needs it), but there's always tomorrow...To a better week- Love, Sara

Oh, and Sarah N.- I put Borax on the list!  Oh, OH, and I THINK I got rid of that stupid virus Thursday afternoon and then changed my facebook password- so hopefully the me-spam has dried up? 
 

Pop Garden Toddler Quilts

 

The long promised toddler quilts!  Yesterday as we were cleaning house (Chris for 4.5 hours and me for 5.5 for a grand total of 10 hours of housework that should've left the house much cleaner than it is, but it was just that Bad), I put the sewing machine away, and it felt So good.  A finished project followed by house cleaning is a great thing (mostly because of those little bits of thread that get Everywhere).

 

They're super girly and just as bright.  I loved working with the Heather Bailey fabric.  I'm more than ready to pick out a pattern for a full size one...but not ready to jump in just yet. The first two quilts (one going to Maggie) are backed with Ms. Bailey's Freshcut line (supplies of which are dwindling out there), and the third (going to Rebekah) is backed with a pink polka dot Auden and I picked out one day last year.  Different looks--and I like both. 

  

The thing is to get them into the mail tomorrow!  Well, this is finals week, but I'll try to post something about a recent lifestyle change we made last week (had to wait to see if it stuck before I blogged it :)).  Have a great week.  Love, Sara

The R Pillow!

 

Matti is its biggest fan...sewing it kinda put me in pillow making mode and since we're in short supply, it's a good thing.  I have one pillow on the needles and one in my head.  The former is a brown tweed (Peace Fleece); a pretty scratchy (but beautiful) wool so it probably won't become anyone's favorite.  The other will be constructed from stashed Amy Butler decorator fabric. 

 

I did finish the toddler quilts last night- they're in the wash and soon to be photographed and mailed!  It's a big relief to have those off the to-do list...no more babies, Ok?  (at least for a couple of months)...and speaking of babies, to finish the post off, how 'bout a photo of our baby mud swallows? 

 

That was last week...they grow So fast: today when I checked them out, they were huge (in fact, if I were their parents, I'd kick their ready-to-fly butts out of the nest).  Maybe I'm in a rush because of the growing poop pile beneath...honestly, though they're entertaining (the parents like to dive bomb us) and I'll miss them.  Hope you have a great week (and Happy Father's Day you dads), Sara

The Projects

I should be blogging Chris' return, describing how wonderful it is to have him back (it really is) and going on and on about our comings and goings since then, but I haven't really gotten any pictures of him with the boys yet (and what's a blog without photos)?  I certainly didn't get any of the homecoming.  Though I dutifully brought the camera to the ceremony, I ditched it the moment the guys filed in (I do have pictures of the boys eating cheetos in the hangar waiting for dad to arrive...)  Nothing completes a moment like cheetos and Coke, right? 

So projects instead:  First up is the Liberty of London toddler quilt.  I'm in the process of hand piecing a full size one (as blogged before), but in the meantime, I machine pieced and quilted a toddler one with the scraps (baby pojects are so great: I love the satisfaction that chases a completed project and baby items are such a quick ride):

I really love it, which translates into motivation to keep truckin' on with the Big 'un. 

You may remember that I began a sock for the Yarn Harlot adventure and it's Complete (so the ends aren't sewn in yet, but I'm saving that for tomorrow's knit night.  Ends are something I can manage to do while conversing- knitting at knit night is nearly impossible for me):

Chris gave me the ultimate compliment when he noted that the sock looked like an Actual sock.  Its mate is even begun...

The other work in progress is a Shawl Collar Baby Sweater (Debbie Bliss: Essential Baby) for "Baby Feeb" whose sex is unknown and who is due in January and will live in North Dakota (maybe I should line it with fleece afterward :)).  Choosing the sweater color was no cake walk.  Blue and pink were out for obvious reasons and though I would certainly dress a baby girl of mine in brown (I do love brown and black and grey), other folks might not find it so appropriate.  That left green and yellow really (lavender just won't do if this is a male child in ND and any other shade of purple hurts my head- unless it's paired with black for Halloween).  Yellow can be a very lovely color, however, it stains easily and I already had some Cashmere-Wool in green on hand.  Green it is: the front and back are complete and the first sleeve is in progress (second sleeve and collar to go- and sewing up, of course).

That's it for now I guess (a sort-of lame post...), but tomorrow I'll try to get a few good photos of the guys or maybe I'll let you in on the best apple pie recipe EVER.  Love, Sara

First Quilt Down!

So that brick path quilt I began back in May is finally finished- pieced, quilted, and bound!  I suppose that three months wouldn't be shameful if it had been Hand-quilted (unfortunately, only the backside binding was hand sewn)...

Mom (aka Gama) thinks it (and the other one I'm currently quilting, and all the fabric I have slated for quilts) is ugly.  Something Bigmama (her mom) would have loved she said- that's NOT a compliment.  While she was an amazing woman in many, many ways, her fiber (think synthetic) and fabric tastes were definitely lacking.  She could recite any poem though, from start to finish- which is especially impressive to me because I can't even seem to remember the lyrics to my favorite songs (except for maybe Me and Bobby McGee)...She was so full of love, and always there when you needed her.  Mom has said that she was a good cook too, but apparently that was something that faded a bit with old age.  At her house, I looked forward to eating party pizzas cooked in the microwave or Dairy Queen (my culinary standards have Always been above reproach).  I hope that I'm like more like her than I realize (I've heard tell that my need to eat frequently is straight up Bigmamma- thus the Big preceding the Mamma), but other than that I'm not sure.  I do know that I have room to grow if I'm trying to fill her big-hearted shoes.  When she was in the nursing home, she'd call frequently and want to talk for awhile.  I really wish I'd called her more often instead of letting her call us and that I'd been more inclined to listen- to soak her up.  Love of soap operas and clutter aside, she was a pretty great lady and I miss her.  I wish the boys could have known her. I know they would have appreciated her for who she was- even if she would've made them wear shoes outside so they wouldn't get worms. 

So one quilt Done, one in the quilting stage, and another waiting to be pieced.  A good place to be, I think.  Those skirts I was going to post photos of are STILL undone.  The black one that was finished will hopefully make the transition from A-line to practically pencil tonight and the cream linen one is still in need of a zipper and a liner and a hem, but at least it's not in shreds.  Maybe, just maybe, I'll work a little on them tonight...Hope you all have a great week.  Love, Sara

Bernina Love

I spent a little time at the sewing machine yesterday and today finishing up a quilt top

that I began awhile back.  Its pieces taunted me daily from their spot on the ironing board (the ironing board that is Supposed to be stored behind my closet door, but has made itself at home in the LIVING room- the shame).  I even made a trip to JoAnn's tonight and have batting- for this top and the one before.  Goal (may this not turn out like that whole no Cokes New Year's resolution): to finish quilting one before the move- whenever that is...though it sounds like it'll be sooner than later.  Craft-ho!  How much cooler would it be to pack a quilt instead of a quilt top and batting and backing?

Sewing on the sashing didn't take all that long (I really shouldn't have put if off, but I was on a knitting kick), it's Katherine's 3 skirts that have consumed most of my time these last two days.  Two are finished, it's that third that's causing trouble.  If it's not finished by tomorrow, I may freak out and attack it with the scissors.  I'll post pictures of them tomorrow I think (even if the third is slashed beyond recognition)- that is if I can get Ms. K to model.  Yesterday, while I was hard at work crafting my little fingers to the bone, Auden was also busy channeling his creativity into a project.  He called it his "challenge."  Rather than use actual art supplies like paper and crayons or the like, he kept it simple with mere paper and water.     

His art may resemble what most refer to as "spitwads," but unlike those junior high troublemakers, Auden's standards prohibited him from using anything but spring water and envelope pieces.  I'm only disappointed that there aren't any prospective buyers coming through to see it any time soon.  With features like this, how could anyone walk away.  So whether he opts to be a paleontologist or a weather man or a wrestler (all current career interests), I think he's off to a great start- turning an item marked for disposal into something of....well, something anyway.  Have a great week!  Love, Sara

Full Size Quilt #2

These blocks, made up of 23 squares and various triangles, take about an hour each to sew together.  Not a big deal when the quilt pattern calls for 12.  Unfortunately, I'm working with 2.5 inch squares and the pattern suggests 3.5 inch ones which means I'll have to make additional blocks if I don't want a mini-quilt.  So the 12 blocks have turned into 20, and I have but 17 done.  My goal was to complete the last three today, though I really don't see that happening.  There's always tomorrow, right?  

The blocks will be framed with a white border (yet to be purchased) and there will be another border (color undetermined) 'round the entire quilt.  

SO, if you made it this far into my quilt show-and-tell, I have a little news!  I scored an interview!  Of my three New Year's resolutions, the only one still in tact is my marathon goal (completed an 18 mile run this weekend- thank you Sarah L.).  As for the other Two: I'm back on the Cokes, and I think applying for a job knocks me out of contention for best stay-at-home mother ever.  Probably, just looking at the classifieds made me ineligible, but whatever...Looking makes me feel like I'm staying at home because I want to, because there isn't anything out there that I'd rather be doing.  That Was the case until I happened upon the description for the Marketing Content Developer position.  I applied (that kept me busy for a day or two- back when I missed a week+ of posts), and it's just nice to know I'm interview-able.  Whether or not I'll get the job is another story- there are so many strikes against me.  Namely, the Army wife thing that is largely responsible for making my resume resemble a chunk of Swiss cheese.  Either way, it'll be fun to slip on a pair of heels and play out in the real world for an hour or two.  Love, Sara

PS: This morning I looked up Katie Holmes' marathon time: 5:29, and Oprah's: 4:29 and cousin Rebekah's: 4:53 (were it not for the fact that she ran San Antonio 07, my competitive nature wouldn't have prompted me to immediately begin marathon training).  Really, I can't let Oprah run 26.2 faster than me.  You know she hasn't been a runner for 15 years like I have, and I'm definitely younger- there is no excuse.  I must run sub 4:29- that's all there is to it.  Less than 4 weeks to GO (with a 10 mile race on post in two weeks)!  -S