Learning to sew

Yesterday I went up to the annual Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington like I do every year. I go to look around and get ideas and, just as importantly, get away from the house for the day. I took Violet this year and packed her around in my trusty Goose. I got tons of compliments from grandmas and had fun just looking around and visiting with a couple of my sewing friends.

In my search for fun things, I found this book:



Grace is 5 now and after looking through the book, I decided it would be something she would really enjoy. So I purchased it. And on the way home I hatched a plan. I was going to set up the little kid table we've had in the garage since the move and use my Featherweight and get Grace sewing. The Featherweight is a perfect *little* machine for little people. It's small. It's a real machine. It doesn't go 100 miles an hour and it is the same machine they use as a model in the book. The thought of Grace learning to sew and being excited about it just makes me smile big happy smiles.

My plan was to get it all set up today, but Grace just couldn't wait. So, I decided I wasn't going to make her. Last night we got the table out and set up the machine and got the book out and started to go through it. It's such a great book! And before I knew it, this was happening:



The turkey is a natural! Look at her concentrate.



To sew you follow a certain rhythm. Maybe it's from years of hearing the rhythm daily, but she's got the rhythm.



I've always maintained that if you can sew a straight line, you can sew just about anything. This girl can sew a straight line. That one with the arrow that I wrote *perfect* by was the one she ended on last night. It really was perfect. She went to bed one proud little girl--her straight line hanging on the fridge for everyone to admire.



And today she learned how to sew curves and turn corners.



Tomorrow she's going to thread the machine and make a little star pillow. She's got the fabric all picked out and everything. And after that, there are all sorts of other shapes she can do, too. Like hearts and dinosaurs and moons and airplanes and bears and birds and trees. She can barely contain herself she's so excited.

And her little sister is not too far behind.



These kids are growing up so fast.

My great grandma is probably smiling

I grew up two miles down the road from my great grandparents. It is with pride that I say that I am their great granddaughter. It is because of them that I want my children to cultivate relationships with their grandparents and great grandparents. Not everyone has grandparents. And not everyone who has grandparents have the good kind. And not everyone with the good kind get the chance to know their grandparents. I am fortunate on all three counts.



Great grandma was a teacher. Before she married grandpa she taught in one of those little one room school houses in Montana. And she never lost that passion for learning and she never lost that soft spot for little children. She loved them and loved watching them learn and grow. She had stories about all of us and how she watched us learn. Her favorite story about me was when she was babysitting me when I was between one and two years old. She tried to show me how to stack blocks. I kept knocking them over and then she had to go do something in the kitchen. She came back to find my trying to stack the blocks. That was her favorite part of the story and she always sat a little taller when she told that part.



If I had to pick just one word to describe great grandma it would be gentle. She was gentle to the core of her being and back again. I don't know if anyone can recall her ever being frustrated or angry or uset. I don't recall her ever raising her voice or being short or sharp in her words. She was always quiet and deliberate and kind.



Great grandma and great grandpa were married for 71 years. About 10 years ago great grandpa died. Great grandma moved in with my grandparents and in the move *things* found other homes. Great grandma, her daughter, and her son, my grandpa, thought that I should have this:







Grandma took beautiful care of everything she owned. And this little machine is no exception. It's perfect. And being the born-again seamstress that I am, I was excited and honored to receive such a precious gift.





____________________________________







Yesterday I went up to the annual Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington like I do every year just to look around and get ideas and, just as importantly, get away from the house for the day. I took Violet this year and packed her around in my trusty Goose. I got tons of compliments from grandmas and had fun just looking around and visiting with a couple of my sewing friends.



In my search for fun things, I found this book:







Grace is 5 now and after looking through the book, I decided it would be something she would really enjoy. So I purchased it. And on the way home I hatched a plan. I was going to set up the little kid table we've had in the garage since the move and use grandma's Featherweight and get Grace sewing. The Featherweight is a perfect *little* machine for little people. It's small. It's a real machine. It doesn't go 100 miles an hour and it is the same machine they use as a model in the book. Plus, the thought of Grace learning on great grandma's machine, the grandma she shares a name with, just makes me smile big happy smiles.



My plan was to get it all set up today, but Grace just couldn't wait. So, I decided I wasn't going to make her. Last night we got the table out and set up the machine and got the book out and started to go through it. It's such a great book! And before I knew it, this was happening:







The turkey is a natural! Look at her concentrate.







To sew you follow a certain rhythm. Maybe it's from years of hearing the rhythm daily, but she's got the rhythm.







I've always maintained that if you can sew a straight line, you can sew just about anything. This girl can sew a striaght line. That one with the arrow that I wrote *perfect* by was the one she ended on last night. It really was perfect. She went to bed one proud little girl.







And today she learned how to sew curves and turn corners.







Tomorrow she's going to thread the machine and make a little star pillow. She's got the fabric all picked out and everything. And after that, there are all sorts of other shapes she can do, too. Like hearts and dinosaurs and moons and airplanes and bears and birds and trees. She can barely contain herself she's so excited.



And her little sister is not too far behind.







I think great grandma is probably smiling. I hope she is. I hope she is smiling and sitting tall and proud. And I hope that I can tell these girls how special this experience really is.

Sewing for girls is fun.

I couldn't get all three pieces on her at once, so you'll just have to imagine.

These make me wonder why EVERYONE doesn't use cloth diapers

You know when you find something you really like and you want to get as many as you can so you can maximize your enjoyment?



Like three pairs of the same jeans. Or two pairs of the same style shoes in different colors. Or three Silly Geese so you can have one ready to wear at all times, one in the car, and one in the laundry? That kind of thing.



I love these diapers!



I just got Violet's next-size up today and I'm so excited! (I think Violet is, too!)



I seriously think that if everyone used these diapers people would give up disposables; the minkee and the bamboo velour are heavenly.



They fit like a dream and even my husband is impressed by them.

Bumstoppers. Drop Becky and email. She'd love to make you some heavenly diapers, too!

Someone needs to tell these kids that it's still FEBRUARY!

And when you play in the water when it's 47 degrees out, you get COLD!





Or someone could just let them play and get cold and take pictures while they are doing it. Maybe even cheer them on some. Who am I to judge? They were OUTSIDE! And they had fun!! Yay!

Fashion Sense

Well, my mom sent me this picture.



I think I get my fashion sense from the farm. I don't have a goat, and I don't ususally wear hats, but other than that, I still prefer much of the same attire you see here. Comfy pants, a t-shirt, and a sweater. And that hat?? Ten bucks says it is hiding the bed head. Now my general strategy is a pony tail. Usually. Right at this moment, it's this:



I wonder what it would be if I had boys instead of girls?

My kids are so weird

Yes, that is a tiara on her post-bath towel head. And yes, those pajamas are almost two sizes two small.



Yes, she is salting her baby. Apparently it needs a bath. And today she wore her black tights and brown shoes with that dress, too. (Just like at her birthday party.)

I don't know where they get it.

Okay. Maybe I do. But you can't prove it.

No pictures of it, but my body thanks me. :)

Two days of babywearing. It wasn't a 24 hour deal, but I was definitely doing activities that I would not have been doing if I were holding a baby. A stroller probably would have worked, but I don't have one of those. And I don't think it would have worked as well.

On Friday we went to preschool with Grace and did tie-dye with 29 preschoolers. It was a total blast. I helped with both the morning class and the afternoon class. And aside from being down when we got there and some between classes, Violet was on my back for probably about three hours. And she slept through most of the activity--the tying and the dyeing--in my Delux goose.

Saturday morning I realized I was a little stiff, but it felt more like I'd slept a little crooked--squished between a three-year-old and a 7-month-old probably. And then I realized that I had spent the better part of my day bent over a table helping preschoolers tie and dye their masterpieces with a 16 pound baby sleeping on my back. Made me walk a little taller.

Then I packed Violet up and took her to my sewing day with my two great sewing friends. When I got there Violet was ready for her morning nap. So I strapped her on in my Classic Goose and did a little cutting. She went to sleep. And she slept for about two hours--until lunch. I sat and sewed and visited and had a great time. She woke up and had a little lunch with us and then played on the floor for a while. But she was sleepy again and she went back on my back again and she was sound asleep for long enough for me to finish two little girl dresses and cut out another. All the while I visited and had a grand time with my two friends.

And today, Sunday, you wouldn't know that the last two days I spent with a sleeping baby on my back going about my business, getting things done and having fun. I'm filled up and not the least bit sore.

The fruits of my labors:







So, pack your baby, pack your Goose, go out and live your life!

Happy Babywearing!

Starting her early

I'm pretty particular about my shoes. I require comfortable. I require practical. I think I missed my window to "train" for shoes that have 6" heels.

My three-year-old, though. She just requires . . . well . . . I don't know. But she's working on making that window.

They don't even fit.



Or match her dress.



But if you could see her face, she's pretty thrilled.



Sometimes I wonder about her.

Tonite at dinner . . .

I love my husband. Today he took Grace to preschool and then picked her up. For me, that made me about three times as productive today.

He loves preschool. He even went to help one day and had so much fun he was talking about it for a week. Literally.

But he did comment tonite that the moms don't talk to him when he goes. He's only been there a few times and I'm sitting there thinking that I don't always talk to many of the moms when I'm there and most of them I don't even know. There are about three of them that I chat with and one that I consider a friend. It takes time to meet people and get to know them and . . .

"Maybe I'm too sexy for them," he says.

Probably. Maybe I'll ask on Friday.

Shameless post of a cute baby

I spend a lot of time looking at this baby and wondering how she got so cute. My other two were pretty darn cute, too. I'm not saying I didn't think they were cute. They were darn cute. They still are.



But this one is my baby right now. And there is just something about babies. My babies. I don't get it from other people's babies. Just mine. Because they are mine. Yea, I ooooh and aaaah over other people's babies, but it's just not the same.

If it's my baby, even snot bubbles are cute.



I think that explains it.

Happy Babywearing! Snot bubbles and all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It only took five pictures to get a good one of the girls all together. Yea, the lighting isn't fabulous, but dang, we live in a cave right now. And their cuteness should make up for it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It only took five pictures to get a good one of the girls all together. Yea, the lighting isn't fabulous, but dang, we live in a cave right now. And their cuteness should make up for it.

I don't know what to say

Meet Amy.



She USED to be a spoiled dog. So spoiled that she was fully insured and she got boiled chicken for dinner every night. So spoiled that she did what she wanted when she wanted and was doted on every moment of the day. So spoiled that her previous owner probably had actual wheels on her vacuum cleaner. (Oh wait, that's me thinking I need a new vacuum again. I need to stop that or I might have to go vacuum shopping. That ranks right up there with car shopping. Eeek!)

Then she moved in with us. I didn't give her boiled chicken. We canceled her insurance. We have three kids and she is treated like a dog. To add insult to injury, I still think Amy is a weird name for a dog and she now has a bad haircut. (finding a good groomer after you move is HARD!)

Now, you know those times when you walk into a room and what you find there just makes you stand there and chuckle and shake your head.



I think she's dreaming of the good ole' days.

My million dollar idea--you saw it here first.

I want to come up with a method to hypnotize children between the ages of about two years and eight years so that at bed time when their parents kiss them and tell them they are loved and to have sweet dreams they fall into a blissful sleep until morning when they are either well rested or their parents wake them up. That would make the world a better place.

Christmas money

I don't know what goes on in your family at Christmas, but most grandparents in our family give money. And there are a lot of grandparents in our family. I always liked to do something special with the money I got for Christmas. So this year we took the girls to the (gasp) mall on a mission to find something special. The only criteria was that it couldn't be something they already had and it couldn't be big.

This is what they came home with:



A new pair of shoes, a wand, wings and a tiara. They got their first "Claire's" experience and I'm sure I'll regret it. These two are so girly. Sometimes I wonder if they are even mine.

Darn cell phone

My cell phone is beginning to die. Last Friday I think it actually over-heated and then dropped the call I was on. I had to turn it off and on to get it to make and receive calls again. And it is not holding a charge like it should. You know that phase of a cell phone's life.

I wouldn't mind so much if it was not my ONLY phone right now. I also wouldn't mind so much if I didn't feel like the cell phone company just wants to suck more money out of me. I think they conspire against us with their two-year contracts and phones that they design to only last a year to a year-an-a-half and their *free* phone offer if you extend your contract another two years. It always makes me feel gouged.

And then there is that stupid message that means nothing and contains very long pauses. "123-456-7890 (paaaause) is not available. (paaaaause) Please leave a message after the tone. (paaaaause) To leave a callback number, press 5. (paaaaause) When you are finished, hang up, or press # for more options. (paaaause) beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!"

On top of the pauses, she speaks veryyyyyy sllllowwwwwlyyyyyyyy.

I have a list of issues with this message.

1) It is long. Longer than necessary. In fact, I'd argue that it isn't necessary at all. Just go to the beep and I'll leave a message. Or, give the number or the name and so straight to the beep.

2) How many people have pushed 5? Ever? I never have. I don't even know why a callback number would be necessary. Numbers calling my phone come through in the caller ID. And if it doesn't, those who endured the message can leave it in the voice mail. Duh.

3) People who create their own message for their phone usually say something like: "Hi! You've reached (me). Leave a message and I'll call you back." So, duh. They've identified themselves and said they'd call you back. No need for the big long explanation after their message. Seems redundant.

4) She tells you to hang up after you've left your message. Was this a problem? People just never hung up? I doubt it. It feels like they are leaving instructions on how to leave a message. I don't know of too many people who have never left a message. My grandma has, my grandpa has, even my 3-year-old has. And I think it's safe to assume the vast majority of people in between have. In the 25+ years that message machines have been around, I think it's safe to assume most people know what they are doing by now.

5) I need to figure out how to get that message off of there. But that isn't easy, either. If you are trying to do it, you have to go through 17 different 12-option menues to get there and then you get cut off because your phone has over heated and drops the call. Cripes.

And don't get me started on all the options now. I don't like flip phones. I'm not into the full keypad. I don't want a touch screen. And I don't need a phone with a camera. Flip phones feel like they are going to break in half to me and all the rest of the options just seem like fluff. I just want a phone that makes calls, holds its charge, doesn't overheat, and rings when someone is calling me. But I'm sure that would cost me an arm and a leg.

How can you not?

The bear got it.

We had a stomach bug go through our house a few weeks ago. Apparently it wasn't quite gone.



Hopefully it's gone now.

For a baby who gets carried most of the time . . .

I carry Violet quite a bit. I don't like putting her down. The floor we have now is not very baby friendly. My other two babies got carried quite a bit, too, but not as much as Violet. I'd say Violet is carried more than she is down. Hours a day. Through a nap or two. I do sit her in her high chair or in the bumbo, but not for very long because she doesn't like to sit there by herself. So, back in the carrier she goes.

Now, there are some out there who wonder if or believe that you can carry your baby too much. Too much to the point that sitting, crawling and walking will be delayed. I didn't believe this was possible. I figured that if babies on chemo and radiation can grow and learn, carried babies can develop normally, right?

I took Violet in for her 6 month pictures and the lady asked me if she could sit up. I was a bit embarassed that I didn't know. So we tried.

Violet was a pro. A natural. Just as surprised as I was that she could sit there. And she sat there proudly.





So, there you have it. One little testimony to the power of babywearing. She's plenty strong and she's got perfect balance and she's pretty darn cute, too.

I love babywearing.

My little sculptor

Calla got some play-doh for her birthday. And she was generous enough to share it. (I'm way impressed with her generosity recently.) So she and Grace sat down to play with it. After I helped them open the wrappers AND the containers, Grace told me she was going to follow the directions on the back. I thought that would be great.

Either play-doh had fabulous directions or my child has talent. I walked over there and she had made this:



















I think she has talent. She's pretty proud of that bird.