A Snowy Cozy Day

Today I did not sew at all.  Not a stitch.  Instead I baked.  And it was good :)

When we woke up this morning there was about an inch of snow on the ground, and the snow came gently down all morning and into the afternoon.  It wasn't a big storm, just gentle little flakes that probably won't be here tomorrow.  But it made for a cozy kind of day.  So LC and I did the housework we needed to do (he helped me vacuum, until he pulled the chord out and then tried immediately to stick it back in--heart attack for Momma, time out for LC) and then just played.  While he napped I baked these cupcakes (and read...a lot...).

And they were YUMmmmmmmmmy!  Sweet potato and chocolate.... 'Nuff said. (I especially like that my nasty muffin tins are showing off their oil-that-won't-come-off-no-matter-how-hard-I-scrub surfaces.  Nice.  Ah, well.  Ignore that and look at those delicious cupcakes!)



Here's a sneak peek at some sewing I've been doing for a project that is capitalizing on my OCD tendencies.  I hope to have this quilt top done by Saturday.  Ha!  (what?! It could happen.......)

Hope you're enjoying your week!

Dear Lone Reader,

I apologize that I have taken a break from blogging these last two weeks.  They've been a little hectic.  What with re-designing the spectacular failure twice in one week, a super sick LC over the weekend, and then keeping up with the other parts of life this last week I haven't seemed to have time to spend on writing.  Family came first, as it should be.

Next week we will return to our semi regularly posted craziness. 

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

-Mortimer

The spectacular failure

It has been a long, long time since I've had a spectacular failure.  Problems? Many and often.  Unpicking? At least once every project.  Scrapping and starting over? Quite a few.  But a spectacular failure.... I guess I was due.

So there will be no pictures in today's post. 

Have no fear, though.  I'm not letting it get to me.  I thought about just throwing the whole thing out, but it has some of my favorite fabrics in it that I won't be able to replace.  I will be doing a lot of seam ripping over the next few days while my brain re-engineers and comes up with a new solution. (That will serve me right for using old and favorite fabric on a trial run project!)  And I will come up with a solution, don't you worry.  I love challenges like this!  They mean something even better is around the corner.

Welcome, Failure! You don't bother me.  You just make me stronger and keep my brain active. Ha.  (Don't get me wrong, normally failures of this magnitude cause me to shed a little tear, but I went running and did yoga this morning so I'm feeling up to the challenge today ;)

Ta Da!

(First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't get pictures up yesterday like I promised, but I didn't want to post any pictures until this project was finally complete.)

Today I finally finished a project I've been working on bit by bit since the middle of December.  Placemats that were my Mom's Christmas present.  She got to see the tops finished at Christmas time, but I wasn't able to complete them in time to send them home with her when my parents and sister left after Christmas.  She did however help pick out the material for the back without really knowing what she was helping me choose.  The result...perhaps the busiest projects I've ever made, and I love them!

Here are some pictures (the ones I promised to post Friday...yeah, I'm one of those people that I said I'd never be.  The kind that promise pictures on a certain day and don't get to post them for various reasons) from the beginning of the design process to the finished product.

Can you tell which picture I took with tungsten lighting? Bleh.  Oh, well.  When I get most of my work done at night after LC is in bed tungsten is what I get to work with.

There are many reasons why they are all slightly different.  The biggest one is that I loved too many of the fabric combinations.  Also most of the fabrics came from fat quarters and there wasn't really enough fabric to make all 4 match.  I could have done it, but once I thought about using all the combinations, I just had to do it :)

As I was finishing up the last part of the binding on the last place mat (can I tell you how good that felt!), LC insisted on sitting next to me on the couch and put his hand on my left arm.  I tried to get a picture, but he moved.  It was the funniest experience.  Kind of like he was saying, "I'm here, Momma.  You can make it.  Don't forget about me being here, though."  

Whineasaurus Rex has been gone for the past two days, and my sweet LC has returned.  Last night, as we were out on a family date, the Nerd Father and I couldn't help but laugh at his antics.  Half the time he was leaning across the table talking to the outside world, to the other diners, shouting a funny story at me.  It was amazing.  I was so worried he would slip because of the way he was standing on the bench in our booth that I had to have the Nerd Father sit next to him and I sat across the table (I'm a little bit of a worrier sometimes--heh,heh--so when it interferes with normal toddler development I let the Nerd Father take over.  He's much more chill about most of life).

It was so much fun to be out as a family, and just enjoy spending time with each other.  What a wonderful start to a most productive weekend.  And what a relief to have finished those placemats.  They look great, Mom, and I'll send them in the mail as soon as I can.

Have a great weekend!

Whineasaurus Rex vs. Mom

Little Creature (LC) was taken over by a new monster today.  This one I call Whineasaurus Rex.  LC is generally a very happy little being.  He's the kind of first child that makes everyone shake their head worrying about what our second child will be like. (I worry, too.)  Today, however, (well, I'll be honest, it's been about a week) he has been whining NON.STOP.  Following me around whining.  Everywhere.  (I realize some children are like this all the time--I know a few--And I totally feel for their parents, I always have.  I know how lucky I am, trust me.)

Whining is wearing.  I'd rather be seam ripping for an hour than listen to whining.  One of the ways I "deal" with some of the less pleasant parts of parenthood is by giving LC nicknames that have to deal with the behavior that is driving me nuts.  He's already been a laundry bandit (my Nerdy Photographer husband made a wanted poster for me to hang up in the laundry room :)  Today he became Whineasaurus Rex.

The times that he was a quiet LC today:
1. He was sleeping.
2. I was holding him while dancing (great cardio workout)--not really quiet.  He was giggling.
3. He was in "his" chair "reading" a book.--also not exactly quiet.  He "reads" out loud.  Much babbling and gesturing.


By 2:30 I was frazzled.  There's no way I was going to make it to 5:30ish when the Nerd Father was going to be coming home.  Cue yoga to angry girl music. Ha! What a combination! Whineasaurus thought it was hilarious, and kept trying to roll my yoga mat up on me.  I thought it was awesome, because for some reason that combination was strangely relaxing.  And it's always fun to laugh with Whineasaurus, he has such a great giggle.  It was just enough to keep me going until the second nap (today was a two nap day, sigh, which usually means neither one is good).  And during the second nap, I was able to make it to the sewing machine.  WAHOO! and I got a lot done! Yay!  I don't think I'll get all of this project bound by the end of tomorrow, but I'm getting closer :)  All the machine sewing is done.  Just the hand sewing is left.  And I still love the combinations of fabric.  What a good feeling!


Pictures tomorrow!
(Here's to hoping Whineasaurus is back to being my sweet LC tomorrow.  HA!)

Lesson Learned.... Maybe?

When hand sewing binding on a project:  starting in the middle of a short side and thinking you've started on a long side leads one to believe that there is something drastically wrong when the "short" side or side that you think is short keeps going and going and going and going....and going.

And then you have to finish sewing the other two sides as well.  Sigh.  BUT I did it! I finished all four sides.  Now I just have do bind three more......

Staying Sane

Like most human beings I can get a little overwhelmed by e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. that I'm trying to get done during the day.  Especially when Little Creature adds more and more laundry to the list, or refuses to take a nice long nap (ahem).  When I find myself reaching the end of my sanity, I have to step back and take a look at what is going on.  That's what I was doing this weekend.  I finished our Library bag around the middle of last week, and after that I wasn't able to get much sewing or creating of any kind done.  Someone (L.C.) was always there and demanding my attention, and by nap time I was just as wiped out as he was.

I realized on Saturday that restoring my sanity as a Mom is a constant process and it's as much of a mental game as running is on distance days.  Running is in fact one of those things that helps me stay sane.  Everyone at our house can tell when it's been a couple of days since Mom has gone running.  But as I'm running, I can feel relief and peace wash over me, and it's almost like my body says, o.k. let's do this, we can make it through this week.  In fact last Thursday, my running partner and I were doing intervals, and I had us do an extra 400 so I could reach that point of returning sanity.  (Luckily, she's a Mom too, so she totally understands.)

Sewing, drawing, and other forms of creating with my hands are also things that keep me grounded.  (I've often wondered what I will do when arthritis sets in.)  There's something about the creative process that's extremely rejuvenating.  And I am so blessed that I have a husband who understands that.  One of my favorite things is grabbing my sketchbook and working out a plan for a new project.  I'm coming to the end of a sketchbook and I'm not sure what I'm going to do.  Coming to the end of a journal (which is rare!) is exciting, because that means I get to start a new one.  But coming to the end of a sketchbook is a little sad.  I love each one so much, and I eek out all the space that I can at the end.  They are old friends by the end.  And for some reason starting a new one is always slightly intimidating.  Something about all those white pages--and what if I mess up?!?  Haha! I know.  I usually end up grabbing a pen and scribbling or something else "messy" just to break the ice with a new sketchbook.  Then we quickly become friends.

So here's a little of what I've been doing over the last little bit to stay sane and well rounded as a Mom and a person.

THE library bag:

Full of books!

There are about 8 picture books for L.C. and 3 novels for me in there.  It's like Mary Poppin's carpet bag, stuff just keeps coming out!

It worked VERY well on the inaugural run (and L.C. did great sitting in the stroller.  Heh, heh.  Side story--L.C. is a very social kid and he loves "talking" to anyone who will look at him.  As the librarian was checking out our stack of books for us he tried talking to her, and she didn't really respond.  hahaha!  He just looked at her like, "Hey, lady! I'm cute! Worship me!"  He was totally disappointed she didn't fall for his cuteness.  He LOVES the ladies at the fabric store, because they talk to him and flirt with him--he sits up on the cutting counter while they cut our fabric and babbles away. And they love it!)

A little improvisational piecing for Valentines Day. (I actually used some solids--GASP)

 

 A little sneak peak of a project I hope to finish by Friday

I would show a picture of my running shoes, but I don't really think they'd inspire anyone but me. Heh.

Ode To the Day Ahead of Us

Ode To the Day Ahead of Us

Oh, Day that lies before us,
With your hours stretching on,
It's grey outside, 

I'm tired inside,
And our naps we are switching to one.

So, Day that lies before us,
We are going to be taking it easy.
Some toilets I may wash,
Some laundry I may fold,
But mostly we will be doing things we love.

And, Day that lies before us,
There is such potential in your hours,
For some hand sewing, 

Some crocheting, 

And some building with blocks.

Yes, Day that lies before us,

We will cuddle,

We will destroy,

We will carry our blankets around in a knot.

We will play ring around the Mommy while she does the breakfast dishes (in the new way that turns it into great exercise).

(We may even see our way clear to going to the library with our new bag :)

Oh, Day that lies before us,
Thank you for what you've done.
You've promised us ease.
You've promised us fun.
And we'll just ignore that you forgot the sun.