Happy New Year!

Okay, so admittedly, it's been a while since I've written. No problem. But maybe it's time to knock the dust off my keyboard and let my brain relearn the art of stringing words into sentences. Ha!

Since I hate resolutions, we're not calling this a resolution. I am also resolved not to use the word resolution to describe any of my other goals for the new year. See, I'm smart that way. Resolved not to have resolutions, therefore I don't have resolutions to break. I just have new ways of doing things. Right?

In the midst of decluttering and organizing my home, I will need some sewing time as a reward. Here's where the Pretty in Patchwork Holiday Sew Along comes in to play. Most of the time, I wait until the last minute, have way too many projects planned, and then make myself insane trying to finish things that are impossible to finish in such a short amount of time. Sewing along with the group will allow me to have feedback or help when I get stuck, but also some motivation to keep a reasonable pace and be more intentional about projects for the coming year. Who knows, maybe having a plan will help me keep a lid on the ADHD monster that constantly screams for me to start seven more projects -- right now!

More updates to come, I hope. Here's to new starts.

Giving it a Try ... 10 on Tuesday ... One Day Early

Inspired by a friend who posts a "10 on Tuesday" entry once a week, I thought I would give it a try. Of course, being me, I figured I would get this one logged in early ... sometimes just starting something is too exciting to wait another day.

1. My sweet Evelyn turned six years old yesterday. How did that happen? Some days, I forget that I'm old enough to be somebody's Mama. She says that being six makes her feel MUCH older. It makes me remember how much age and being older meant to me as a child. Remember how important it used to be to add that "and a half" to our age, just to make sure we got credit for being so grown-up? Now I have trouble remembering how old I am ... and I don't just mean the halves!

2. One of Evelyn's birthday treats was a surprise visit to her favorite artist's studio. Here is a picture from that adventure. She was so excited that her body shook and wiggled the whole time she painted. Before leaving, she got her picture taken in front of his current work in progress. What a cool memory for her to carry with her.

3. Gunnar has serious bed head today. He has that gravity-defying kind of bed head. Don't believe me? Check out this picture. Oh, and the reason he is holding a toy phone is that he is calling Ya-Ya (Evelyn) at school because he wants to be at school too.

4. Okay, so here's one about me. I met with my new Journey Group members last night. This is a Bible study program that works through several topics and how scripture relates to real life. I have really missed the fellowship and encouragement of a regular women's Bible study group. Life has been really crazy for the last year or two, just with schedules and time management, so I am so happy to get started back up again. One of the most poignant things that I took from our "get to know you" gathering last night was a comment from our church's women's ministry director. She said that God knows where we are in our lives, raising kids, helping husbands, working in the home or in the workplace, and all our daily frenzied responsibilities. Because He knows our lives, He does not love us less if we spend less time serving Him. This may not be the season where we go and serve or have hour-long daily quiet times. What we are ultimately responsible for is the condition of our hearts. If our heart is right with God, then we are right with God. It doesn't hinge on any sort of action or work on our part. What a sweet thing to remind a room full of women.

5. Erick and I started a diet program last Tuesday. I will weigh myself tomorrow to see how I've done the first week. Hopefully, it will at least be enough to make me want to keep it up. The real focus of this program is eating a balanced diet. Seems pretty obvious, huh? Their theory is that if you eat the meat, grains, dairy, fruits, and vegetables that you are supposed to eat, that you won't really be hungry enough to eat a bunch of junk that you shouldn't eat. 

6. This morning, I had a wonderful breakfast. It felt like a feast. Our program says that you should have a grain (bread or cereal), eggs, milk, and a fruit for breakfast. I made Pioneer Woman's breakfast punch, which is milk, orange juice, pineapple juice, meringue powder, and a tiny bit of sugar. The next time I make it, I'll probably omit the sugar all together. It just doesn't need it. So I had my milk/juice mixture, a piece of whole-grain toast, and two eggs with a small cup of coffee. It was just wonderful. It's sad to think how I had trained my body to crave junk (as evidenced by some pretty gnarly withdrawal last week) but once I started feeding my body with actual fuel or good food, I really feel better. 

7. Ten things is a lot, you know?

8. I am already thinking about teacher gifts for Christmas. There are so many cool sewing patterns and projects that I keep finding online and in magazines that I can't seem to narrow down my options. Tote bags seem like a great idea. Pretty composition notebook covers that double as portfolios also sound promising. Of course, there are also some adorable ideas for fabric baskets, mug-rugs (coasters for hot chocolate or coffee or tea) and so much more. 

9. Tote bags are one of my favorite things. Honestly, you would think a person would eventually have enough tote bags, but I keep thinking up new reasons why I need just one more. At this point, it may be an excuse to buy a new pattern and fabric so that I can watch something new be created, but it's still fun. New Bible study Journey group? New tote bag must be made. Lost my camera case? Must make my own zippered bags for the camera and its cords and batteries.

10. My kids need an activity to entertain them while I am cooking supper in the evenings. One of their teachers suggested keeping notebooks, coloring sheets, pencils and crayons handy. The idea is to let them sit at the table and work while I am cooking. That way, I can see them, but they are not under me or demanding something every five seconds. Yes, and this has its own sewing needs. I think I need to make a cute little tote bag for these supplies, or maybe even a great organizer to hang on the wall to corral all those crayons and books. Sounds promising, right?

That's it. My first ever 10 on Tuesday and it's not even Tuesday yet. Hooray! I've started it.

Can I Scrap with the Best of Them?

So here's the thing. Chaos bothers me. Seriously bothers me. If something is in my future, I want to have it all planned out, know what to expect, and have at least three dozen contingency plans mapped out in my head. If we're being totally honest here, which I might as well be, I am even happier if said contingency plans are written down on paper. So that's me.

But another side of me wants to give chaos a chance. I mean, we can't know everything ahead of time. There are some roads that I may choose to take, even though I don't know exactly how things will look at the end. What if letting go might actually give my creativity the room and space it needs to stretch its wings and soar?

There is a Quilt-A-Long going on where members sew a quilt called the "Farmer's Wife" Sampler Quilt. This came from a magazine that was popular in the 1920's and as of yesterday, I have the book in my hands, foundation paper ready to stitch, and an especially helpful ruler arriving via Amazon tomorrow. Great, right? Sounds like I have everything ready to get started. Uh, wrong. What about the fabric? You can't really make a quilt without fabric... it's sort of important.

One option is to obsess about color combinations, to choose a theme, one fabric line, or a color or two and make everything coordinate from that focus. Another option is to go upstairs, dig through my stash basket of left-over fabric, and sew with whatever colors and fabrics happen to grab me at that particular moment. Over the course of a year (which is how long this quilt along is supposed to run) I would have made 111 quilt blocks that had no organizing concept, other than my own personal whim. Is this crazy or what? So why am I even considering it? Why am I also frantically searching online for bundles of fabric (maybe even two of the same bundle -- would hate to run out) that would safely take me through this project? Why does my heart say, "Just jump in and go crazy!" What if I make 111 quilt blocks based on whimsy and the whole thing turns out uglier than home-made sin? But what if, like the women of the 1920's, I use what I have, glad to have it, and appreciate the beauty that results?

Yeah, it's not an obvious choice for me. This is definitely a metaphor for much, much bigger things in my life and psyche. The easy choice is to go back and order one of those neat, tidy, coordinated fabric bundles, all wrapped up in a sweet grosgrain ribbon, and sit by the front door, waiting for it to arrive in its perfect little cardboard box.

To heck with it. Throw caution to the wind. Embrace chaos. Let my heart guide me. (Any more silly cliches I could add here?) Oh yeah, just do it. Yeah, that's the ticket. Get ready, fabric stash basket, your life is about to change... and maybe mine might change a little at the same time.

What Gunnar & I Did This Morning ... a.k.a. Why My Husband Should Ditch the Business Trip and Come Home Immediately!

So, here are a few shots of my morning with Gunnar. Evie is at school, so he and I finished up these little beauties...

Honestly, I'm not sure who is the most excited... me or Gunnar.

Oh, you wanted to see what we were making, right?
Take this...

Add a little (or a lot) of this...

Oh yeah, Baby.

Now enjoy!

Seriously, can anyone believe that my husband will do anything but come straight home and help me devour these cinnamon rolls? (Recipe: Pioneer Woman)

Gunnar declined to join me in the cinnamon roll consumption, but finally broke down and had a little bite. The next sound heard in my kitchen was the most heart-felt "mmmmmmmmmm" I think he has ever uttered. Ha! He licked his plate, hands, and face when he was finished.

So, Honey, what time shall I expect you home today?

What A Day

Words of wisdom from a 4 year old...

Today I took Evelyn for her pediatrician check-up. Part of this included what all women learn to do, although we still can't believe we have to do it. That's it... pee in a cup. I'm not sure what all they check for with a child that young, but it made for some great comedy. Evelyn had never been subjected to such insanity before, so when I explained to her that she was going to sit on the potty while I held this little cup for her to pee in, she was incredulous. She kept looking at me like she was waiting for me to tell her I was just kidding. Finally, she said, "Mommy, what happens if I pee on your hands?" I assured her that I would thoroughly wash my hands after the whole ordeal was over, and she settled back on the potty. Then she sat up again and said in the most stoic voice ever, "Mommy, this really doesn't sound like a very good idea." Ha! No kidding.

Let's just say things went downhill from there. She had to have the routine finger prick test, which turned out to be enormously upsetting to her. Honestly, it was total meltdown mode. When she found out that she was going to get four shots, it went from bad to worse. She totally freaked out. It took a while for the nurse to get back with the shots, because they hadn't actually planned on doing those shots until two more weeks when she turns five, but since we were there, we went ahead and got everything done. It took three grown women to hold her down for the shots. She was flailing around on the table, struggling and begging the nurse to stop. It was shocking. I have never seen her anywhere near that out of control. While I had the Mommy feelings of sympathy for her, I mostly just kept thinking how over the top her reaction was to what was happening. Nobody likes shots, but they aren't catastrophic attacks on a body.

Then I remembered being a very young child (probably her same age, since it was before I had my tonsils removed) and how it took several people to hold me down when I got shots at my doctor's office. I had forgotten about any of that, but today, holding Evelyn in my arms and trying to reassure her that she really was okay, I was taken right back to Dr. Cole's office in Newnan, Georgia and the horror of shots during my own childhood. Horror... how funny that it seemed like such a horrible thing when I was little. My poor Mama must have felt the same mix of emotions that I felt today. We want to protect our kids, which means we never want them to hurt, but at the same time, we want them to take the sometimes painful steps that lead to prevention of much more serious consequences. We want them to have a life that is happy and wonderful, but we know that discomfort is sometimes necessary and we want them to learn to be strong enough to handle the reality of life.

Tomorrow I will have some pictures to post... Evie's first day of school, maybe a couple of shots of Gunnar, and some quilts that I have completed. But for now, goodnight.

An Idea Is Brewing...

As my most recently-completed project is being quilted by my new best friend -- a local long arm quilter -- I find myself toying with ideas for another quilt. Oh, that doesn't mean that I don't have other quilts in progress or in planning. But my problem is that the more experience and practice I get quilting and sewing, the more challenging and creative projects I want to try. Today, I received an email about an embroidery contest from Sublime Stitching. The contest didn't really interest me, but as I was looking around at the patterns, an idea for a really cool quilt came to mind. My next project for myself will be a quilt that will be decorated with hand-embroidered pin-up girls on solid white blocks. Come on, that will be great, huh? I really like the old-school pin-ups, and the embroidery patterns that I have include space girls, cow girls, and old fashioned pin-up girls like you see in vintage posters and magazines. They are all modest, while still being edgy and fun. I will have to choose fabrics, and then maybe find a way to coordinate the embroidery floss colors to the fabrics, but that should be fairly easy. I think it will be a fun project, and at least in the case of the hand embroidery work, it will be something that I can carry around with me and work on even when I'm not sitting in front of my sewing machine.

So that's all for now. Just wanted to get that idea out there. I should jot it down in my craft journal, but this one was too good not to share. And who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and get a REAL embroidery machine for my 10th Wedding Anniversary / Birthday / Christmas later this year. But then again, the machine embroidery wouldn't really give my quilt the same feeling, so no use drooling over an embroidery machine quite yet. I still like the look of the hand work.

Hooray!

I know, it's a lot different than the title from my last post. Not only did I finish hand-stitching all of those origami stars, but I also finished the quilt top AND the backing. My Sweet Honey Hubby is en route as I type to deliver my quilt to my newly-found long arm quilter friend. Seriously, this lady is a trip, and I was so incredibly glad to find someone locally who would not only take my quilting work, but would also be another source of encouragement and guidance as I continue to learn and improve and try new things.

This quilt will be a birthday present for my niece, Mamie. I really should have taken a picture of the quilt top to post, but the lighting was horrible yesterday (storms all day) and then today I was in a hurry to get the quilt on over to the LAQ. So, no pictures yet. I'll definitely post one of the finished quilt. Maybe one before I put on the binding, but definitely after it's all completed.

Next up in the parade of quilts will be to sew my Shoo-Fly rows into the finished quilt top. I'm still not completely set on a border, or what kind, for it, but I talked to the LAQ today in the shop and she does pantograph quilting, so I'm even more excited to get this one finished up and quilted. I want either a butterfly motif or bumble-bees for this one. Julie may have another suggestion, which would be great too. It's so cool to find someone who can share their opinion and help guide me. I am so new to all of this that I don't really know what questions to ask or what to try or what works and doesn't work, but she was really great with me today, talking through lots of ideas.

Then I have Gunnar's I-Spy quilt, which is ready, other than the border, so I'll probably take that one and the Shoo-Fly to her at the same time.

After that, I have a baby quilt to make for one of the make-up women that has befriended Erick when he is on set. I already have the fabric for the top, and the pattern that I plan on using goes on sale in two days, so I'll be ready to get started on that one by the end of the week.

It's funny to think how much I've already learned. Even more amazing is to think that only four months ago, I didn't even know how to thread a machine. The quilting/sewing bug has definitely gotten hold of me. It's so thrilling to start with fabric from a huge bolt and see it become something beautiful under my hands. I have the same feeling when I'm knitting, except I still knit WAY slower than I can already sew. Obviously, that is probably always the case, but I get to see things taking shape almost immediately when I am sewing. I really enjoy the process, but I definitely get a kick out of seeing the thing through to the end.

That's it for now. I'll update with a picture when Mamie's quilt is finished.