The Dog Formerly Known As

We have another new addition to our little family. A wee little dachschund girl. For a short time her name was Mabel. I love this name. My husband, well, not so much. We can't seem to find a good fit, other than Mabel, right? And between potty training a toddler, potty training a puppy, and nursing a still very young infant, I may just go a wee bit crazy.

Enough said for now, I am going to go chase someone or something down now, and/or change a diaper, you know, something of that nature.

I Had No Idea

Joseph had his first "friend" birthday party. It was an experience. Digging for worms, throwing sticks into the creek, helping David haul brush. Boys running around taking off their shirts. The noise level growing and growing. Whew...next year, it's a pizza party with two friends or something like that.

But he had so much fun showing off his room and his house.


Such a blurry picture, but you can still see how happy he was. You can still see his dimples. We could tell he had dimples in the hospital right after he was born.
Little boys being silly.

This Morning

This morning I am multitasking. While I sit and eat my oatmeal, I am also blogging and breastfeeding. We have a busy weekend and week ahead. Then next Saturday, I head back to work, and I am very nervous. So I don't get overwhelmed I need to take it one day at a time.


Last night the kids were taking advantage of the wonderful weather.


This morning, I saw a couple of "things" that made me stop and say, "wow" or "that's cool", oh I don't know how to stay it. What I am trying to say, is, sometimes it's just the simple things in life.

Like a shadow
Like using my new trivet. I have always wanted a trivet, but for some reason never bought one. Well, this one was cheap at Michael's.
Then after all of this simplicity and sublime-ness, I broke one of my cute measuring cups that I measure with day in and day out. I threw it away, but looking at this pic, there is no reason I can't glue it back together. So I rescued it from the depths of my trashcan.
Three posts in one week. I think it may be the lack of adult conversation. Have a wonderful weekend.

On this dreary day

On this dreary day I thought some color might be nice. Although, I don't mind this balmy day, it only reminds me of Spring.

Today, I received "happy mail", a phrase coined by others. In my mailbox was the first of what I hope to be many fabric shipments.
I have no idea what I will do with them yet. Maybe accents on an apron, a pillow or tea towels. They are only remnants and half yard pieces, but they were purty, vintage and cheap and so I bought them. For now I have placed them on my entertainment center (which I call my mantel, b/c I have no fireplace, and would one day like an official mantel), for inspiration and because the colors make me so happy.



Then, to my friend Katie. I bought this book a few weeks ago, and other than perusing, have only fully read the first chapter. But, I am very excited to dive into it once I am done with birthday stuff, and the massive blanket I'm (attempting to) crochet. It seems to be geared towards the adult beginner, and starts from the basics, such as types of scissors, machine parts, troubleshooting, stitch length, practice projects, such as sewing a straight line on paper, and using all of your different stitches, etc. I feel like I will be taking a sewing course.
My Valentine bestowed a Michael's gift card upon me, so I think that tomorrow, the kids and I will take advantage of the predicted wonderful weather, and venture out. Enjoy this wonderful, neurotic Kansas weather.

Handmade Underway!

Two projects have been joyfully completed. Number one, I crocheted a scarf. A basic, no thinker, just double crochet the length of the scarf. So calming to sit and crochet, and very satisfying to finish. Soft and cozy around the neck. Joseph kept telling me how beautiful my knitting was and how proud he was of me. Hearing him say those things, I could hear myself praising him.


Handmade number two, a Valentine's day headband for Betsy. There are a few things I would like to tweek about the process, but I plan to make more through the year. It is so rewarding to make something and then actually USE it.



A few side notes, Charlotte's potty training has commenced. A week after I came home from the hospital, she was frequently wanting to use the potty chair, but physically, I wasn't ready to breastfeed a baby, take care of their daily needs and do hourly trips to the potty chair. But our schedule has settled out (as much as possible), and Friday, I decided it was time to officially began potty training. I stocked up on M&M's and big girl pants. We have had three successful days, with maybe only two accidents. For some reason, it is a huge relief to me to have begun this process, and that for now, it seems to be going well. I must remind myself to take it day to day, because, one day I think we (Charlotte and I) have it all figured out, and then two days later we could be back to square one.

My handmade endeavor will slow down this week, because of Joseph's birthday. If I become too obsessed with a project my house goes to pot, and I don't want to be scrambling at the last minute. Oh well, enough rambling.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Gettin' Busy @ 30

Just some pictures of Betsy. She is smiling at this point, I just haven't caught a good one with the camera.


This was Betsy last night. It was one of those moments where you keep telling yourself not to forget, to remember this moment and how they looked - forever. I didn't leave it to chance, I went and snatched the camera. Obviously, I didn't use the flash.


Now, I want to babble about myself. That's always fun, right?
Something I touched on in the last post, I have always wanted to be artistic and make beautiful things with my hands. But whenever I tried to create something beautiful, the "project" never turned out how I wanted. In fact, I rarely would finish anything, because I would be so disappointed in how things were turning out. Then I would assume I wasn't creative and give up. Usually, after Christmas, with all of the cleaning and reorganizing, I tend to obsess about my house and how I can make it more beautiful, comforting, or unique. Frankly, I am on a constant quest to make our house a HOME. For me, it seems to be a never ending evolving process. I found myself constantly perusing the internet for ideas and inspiration, which often turned into discontentment. Oooh, I want this, or I want my room to look this way, so I need to buy this.... I began creating a huge long list of "I WANTS". This is never, never a good thing. I knew this, and I know it is one of the most unhealthy states of mind. One day I stumbled upon this blog, and found many ah DIY projects, that really, really tickled my fancy. Ding, the light bulb turned on. If you want something, figure out how to make it yourself. Because even thought I had the "I WANTs" I also knew that the most beautiful and treasured things are not the ones purchased at Pottery Barn, but the ones with a story and/or sentimental value. Which leads me to my goal of learning to sew (and a few other hobbies) and creating 30 handmade items this year. Using inspiration and guidance from others who have traveled before me (via the internet), I know I can be artistic and create gifts, items, things, that I love and cherish and can give to others.



While I figure out how I am going to come about a sewing machine, I decided to learn how to crochet. Using You tube videos, I learned to crochet three basic stitches and crocheted a scarf. It turned out well, it is a coral pink color, I will picture it sometime, and I think I am going to give it to my little sister. It may be a little too pink for me. Now, I am working on crocheting a blanket for our bed. Using inspiration from this blanket, and trial and error of pairing colors that I gravitate towards (lately I am loving orange and I always love a pretty blue), this is my plan. To crochet a patchwork blanket using these colors, and using the above vintage fabric to accent the white crocheted patches and bring the colors together. I know, the fabric is very, well individual, but I am on a bit of a vintage, thrifty "kick" right now.
The trick is, I need to finish this project, even if I am half way through and not quite sure about the colors or the texture of the yarn, I need to see this one through. If I finish and don't like it then I can give it to the cat. She'll love it.

Help A Sister Out

I wasn't sure what to title this. I have been busy with the kids and browsing the internet for projects. I am ripening to age thirty soon, and have set a goal for myself. Do you remember a comment I made? A comment along the lines of wishing I was artistic or creative. Well, for my thirtieth year, I have decided to make thirty handmade things, particularly in the area of sewing.


So for all my peeps who like to sew click on the pic above and go check it out. And if you are my Aunt Sherri, and a good luck charm, maybe you could enter a comment and give the course to me if you win. Just a thought!?!

Also, as usual I am late to the party, and this giveaway ends on Tuesday, so don't wait.