while they were sleeping.

i made this little scarf while the littles were sleeping on saturday. it was easy. peasy. if you're a beginning sewer, sew this! seriously, that's how the tutorial is advertised! my friend, lindsay, had made one before christmas that was darling {and she never put it on her blog - so linds - put it up!} and i searched the crafting blogs for one similar. her's was definitely cuter, but this one works.

click here for the tutorial.

a few notes.

first, i wish i had a knit or jersey knit fabric. it's cute but i feel like my normal 100% cotton fabric is too rough & tough for a nice and flowy scarf. maybe i should wash it with extra fabric softener and see what happens?

second, don't be scared of the elastic thread. i was. but there was no need. i don't know why i haven't used it before, it was that easy. {it was mixed in right next to the normal thread at my joann's, and it had a big "elastic" above it. couldn't miss it.}

third, in using the elastic, you should know that the elastic WILL show on the back. for me it's no big deal, because i'm kind of folding it over anyway to get it to lay right. {again with the rough & tough fabric}. but just be forewarned. the small amount of perfectionist in me got annoyed, but again, since it's such a small amount of perfectionist, i got over it quickly.

happy sewing!

FROZEN in time.

this is getting ridiculous, folks.

we've had snow day after snow day after snow day after snow day.

it's beautiful, but i'm going crazy. i was doing great the first two & 1/2 days. but by thursday, around lunch time, i started feeling a little claustrophobic. i ALMOST got out of the house last night but when i went to look at our driveway, i decided it wasn't worth it.

so jeff went out for me. to joann's fabric. for glue sticks. and felt. and thread.

i love my husband.

needless to say, i will not be getting out yet again today.

because it looks like this:

so. i've been doing a lot of sewing. organizing. crafting. cleaning. laundry.

there will be another post on operation total home organization, but i can now safely say that the upstairs is done. now onto the hard part. {ah, save the best for last, right??} junk drawers {i have three, much more for any sane, organized person}. cleaning out my dresser drawers. oh - and the DREADED toy closet. does anyone have any suggestions for organizing toys? please oh please share. i need help. my closet needs help. and if the hubby opens it one more time to have a stick horse fall on his big toe, i think brady may have a new vocabulary word that we won't be proud of.

we are ready for the superbowl to be over. are you? i'm so ready to watch the actual today show and not news about snowmageddon, or whatever they're calling it, and the super bowl. i mean, why are we already concerned that the weather here has ruined our chances to host another super bowl? aren't we in the middle of hosting this one? maybe we should finish this one first and see if we want another one. right????

i made lil' miss this dress for sunday night. actually, it's eventually going to have a "BU" on it - in preparation for march madness - but i won't put it on until after sunday.

i also made her this little rosette flower. it didn't turn out quite like i wanted... so i am going to work on some more. but for now, this will do. {PS i wasn't meant to match her jammies! i was just trying it on her!}

big man b. is ready for sunday night too.

a few years ago i went on a business trip to sheboygan, wisconsin. we actually flew out of green bay {30 minutes away} and i brought him back this cheesehead. he has made me swear that this is a one time thing... rooting for the packers.... but we shall see. {i may or may not have said i wanted to steelers to win because i like mike tomlin - the coach - and jeff may or may not have made a 'family decision' to root for the packers...}

regardless. i'm exhausted. not physically, of course, we haven't done ANYTHING. but i'm dying for fresh air that doesn't burn my lungs because it's so cold. {yes i'm a native texan}. yes, my kids nap at the same time for an hour or so... but that's still not enough time for the noise in my head to stop! oh - and what about that constant dripping of the faucets?! lovely!

of course... i do have this little muffin to play dress up with.

i have several crafts lined up on my 'docket' for this weekend. my goal is to do a post on them. but we will see....... i haven't exactly been living up to my goals 100% of the time lately. regardless, they're fun for ME to enjoy... right?

stay warm. thank goodness for coffee!

calling all crafters. {or even wannabe crafters, like me!}

many of you know that my very favorite blog to read EVER is written by meg from whatever.

i love her. for so many reasons... but one at the top of my list is her seemingly endless creative spirit. {with five kids in tow, none the less!}

so - you can imagine how good this NEW blog must be if i'm going to say that it rivals hers {creatively, at least!} meg guest-posted and that's the ONLY way i found it. 

let's just say, i've been so inspired and i can't wait for the lil miss to get here so we can spend some time with peppermint mochas, the bouncy seat and the sewing machine!! 

so.... without further ado... i will introduce you to EDIE's BLOG. she is doing a series called 12 days of handmade christmas. the best thing is that it's not ALL christmas crafts... they're things you can make to GIVE for christmas! {and just plain fun and easy!} 

you need to scroll through the posts from last year too. they're awe.some. 

so have at it.... and enjoy being creative!!!

finally: a charlotte update.

okay - so there is a lot to update in regard to baby charlotte! i have been ordered to stay in bed this saturday morning {by my darling husband} while the boys run some man errands for me, so what better thing to do than watch college gameday and catch up on my much-behind blogging?! yay!

so. where to start?

first: the hospital visit.

last monday, i woke up and felt like i normally do at 8 months pregnant: tired, not rested and short of breath. i didn't think anything of it until i got brady up and basically had to lay down for another hour on the couch because everytime i got up i felt like i was going to pass out. the final straw for me was when i tried to gt up just to get some water and i started seeing those infamous blue spots and had to sit down on the ground with my back against the wall to 'catch my breath'.

i called the hubby at work and old him i felt like something was wrong. i think i told him: "this is not normal." so, he kept cool and told me to call dr. wells and then call him back. the nurse was really puzzled by what i told her. had i eaten breakfast? yes. was a laying on my left side when i laid down? yes. did it get better if i laid down? no. interesting. she talked to the doctor and two minutes later i was trying to figure out how to get myself to 'labor & delivery' at presby!

it was chaotic getting to the hospital. b. knew something was going on and starting throwing a fit all while i was trying to make sure i had snacks, juice, diapers & wipes along with getting him and myself dressed before my mom came to pick me up. i met jeff at the hospital and my mom took brady to the playground while we were figuring things out.

it was almost immediately apparent what was happening as soon as they hooked me up to the monitors. my pulse was jumping from 95-100 to the range of 130-140 and then back down. no, i wasn't doing anything physical. no, i wasn't stressed about anything. i really was just laying in a hospital bed all day long while they monitored me and i'd go through these 2-3 minute spells of feeling terrible and then it would relax for a few minutes and we'd go through the same thing again.

we stayed overnight. we saw the cardiologist three times. we went through a ton of tests. bottom line is that they think it's pregnancy induced. a combination of adrenaline spikes {caused by pregnancy hormones} and the pressure that baby c. puts on major arteries as she gets bigger. it basically feels like i've just run 5 miles when i've actually done nothing at all. now that i know what it is, it honestly makes me feel better. they gave me some medicine to help control the severity of the 'episodes'. they havne't gone away, they're still there, but not as severe and not as frequent. so that will just have to do until miss charlotte arrives.

which brings me to my next update:

we're officially schedule for a c-section on thursday, november 11th. 11/11. what a perfect day?! we're very excited, as the countdown has begun. less than two weeks!! woo-hoo!

also. we are SO closed to finishing the nursery. there are just a few final touches that we're waiting on and then it will be complete. it's coming together even better than i had imagined. how is it that pink is so 'sweet'??  if you've read my blog before, you know that i'm a huge fan of the 'big reveal' of before and after, so i just can't bring myself to show the whole room until it's done. but... that doesn't mean i can't show you a few of my favorite parts, right?

here we go - starting with a little craft project:













little miss c's bedding was definitely a labor of love. it took me forever to pick out the fabric and then i set to work on making it. it took several weeks of figuring out the best way to put it together, the best way to sew it, pressing, pinning, ruffling, putting it down for a few days and picking it back up all over again. i will say that all of the bedding cost around $80... including two pillows, a quilt and a table topper. that's cheaper than most anything you'll find, right?

one of my thirty things before thirty was learning how to sew. i told jeff that i think this means i can cross that off my list. don't you?









here's the official update:

how far along? 37 weeks, 3 days.
total weight gain/loss? +20 pounds... i gained 2 pounds each of these last two weeks. woo-hoo.
maternity clothes? ummm.... i'm sick of these now, can i get an amen? most shirts aren't long enough to cover my elephant-sized belly... PLUS the elastic in the pants will slide down ever so slowly so that i end up with a little bit of skin showing. yuck. sorry if i just offended someone, i am just not a fan of that. so i'm mostly in sweats now. unless i'm made to get out of the house in something 'decent'.
stretch marks? i can't believe this, but with less than two weeks to go, i can see ever-so-slight marks starting on my hips. this is exactly what happened last time. i gained 10 pounds the last two weeks and got stretch marks everywhere. ugh, ugh, ugh.
sleep? none. {did i mention i'm supposed to be sleeping now?}
best moment this week? officially being scheduled at the hospital! yippeee!!
movement? not slowing down at all in this department. she's definitely found the way to get her feet up under my ribs--- always on my left side. not.comfortable.
food cravings? the last two weeks have been rough around our house so i've been craving all comfort food - i.e. not-good-for-you-comfort-food.
what i miss: sleeping. shaving my legs in a normal manner. my back not hurting, being able to pick something up off the floor, not having to go to the potty every 5 minutes.... i could go on and on.
what i'm looking forward to: november 11th.
how are you feeling? after all of the update - do i really need to elaborate on this one? i have less than 2 weeks left... so obviously not the best.
comparisons to last pregnancy? everything is just harder this time. that's what the doc told me would happen at our first appointment, but it's really been playing itself out this last few weeks. i'm just ready. everything but the last month has gone by fast. oh - and i tested positive on the strep b test this time when i didn't have it last time.
milestones? we are through with the hubby being out of town for the duration of the pregnancy. for ME - that's a milestone! yay!

 

nap mat.

the day before school started, i decided {on a whim} that i was going to recover brady's nap mat. if you don't know already, these things are EXPENSIVE!! and we were lucky that when b's class last year made the transition to nap mats, our teacher had one that she was going to sell for $20. That was a steal! I took it. It had trucks on it. It had a tiny hole in it but it was fine and b. loved the trucks.

but... since i've been in a frenzy making stuff for the little sweetsies, and i never made anything for brady, i was feeling kind of guilty.

so we headed to joann's and brady picked out this cute baseball fabric. {have i mentioned he loves baseball??}

i was pretty proud of myself. it cost $14 to recover. and it looked really good.

or so i thought.

two naps into it, one of the velcro 'straps' was tearing off. i think i trimmed it too close. it's no biggie to fix, but i was disappointed it happened so fast.


oh well - it was an afternoon project just for b. & he loves it.

zipper.

i had a sewing magazine that i had gotten for my birthday but hadn't made anything from yet.

then i saw this picture:



i thought, 'i could do that.'.... or maybe the thought was 'i could try that'.

so i ran up to joanns and got a zipper that matched some scrap fabric i had here.

my original thought was that it might be big enough for diapers/wipes. but no such luck.

then i realized i got the wrong size zipper. i got 6" and it said 9". i ran back up to joanns as soon as the hubbs got home. he even told me not to worry about dinner and brought this home instead. yum.



well, the 9" zipper was way too long. despite the fact that i cut the fabric from the pattern. exactly. so i ended up trying the 6".

i stayed up late on monday night trying to figure it out. it actually wasn't the zipper that caused problems, it was trying to figure out the directions in the pattern. i think they complicated it way more than they needed to... and when i make my own version next time, i will be doing it my way.


the zipper went on without a snag though {no pun intended! ha!}

it's just too short.


and then i was lazy and instead of hand stitching the lining in, i tried to do it by machine. that's where i got this trailing line of stitches on the back. again, too lazy to rip it out. i had already decided i wasn't going to be giving this to anyone so it wasn't really worth it.


anyway.... my kitchen and b-fast room looked like a disaster when i finished last night.


so thankful for an understanding and supportive hubby.

weekend randomness

friday started off with a triple date night with the mccords & the reynolds. {can you believe they had a baby two weeks ago?!?} justin had gotten tickets to the taste of dallas down at fair park. too bad that although the website said it was inside, the FOOD was outside. in the pouring down rain. i mean, POURING rain. yuck. we lasted 30 minutes and then decided to go get something real to eat.

we went to cowboy chow in deep ellum. ummmm. delish. a pregnant woman's heaven. comfort food to the extreme. you must check it out. that's all i'll say about that.



saturday, j & i ran errands before picking brady up from my parents. we picked out two paint colors for charlotte's room. we don't like either one. bummer. back to the drawing board.



we picked up b. and then went to get all of his big boy bedroom stuff. we are so excited about this room, y'all. i mean... we're so excited because we know how MUCH brady is going to love it. we're actually afraid he might not sleep. he LOVES sports. so.... we have big plans for this room. can't wait for it to all come together.



but for now, the furniture remains in our garage. waiting until the transformation date.


until then i will hunt & gather. my favorite part.

in other news - i sewed all afternoon saturday. i'm planning on making charlotte's bedding, so i'm trying to get some practice with the 'minky' fabric since it slips so much on my machine. i actually did better than last time though. you have to look real close to see the big mistakes.

i made a blanket and two burp cloths. one that had my very first ruffle. i was so proud. i made jeff ooh and ahh over it a few times.



side note - it is my dream to have a craft room like this.

so that my dining room wouldn't always look like this:


a girl can dream, right?

speaking of dreaming, i did not sleep at all last night. neither did the hubbs. i kept thinking about all of the ideas i had for brady's room and charlotte's room. all of the projects between now & her arrival. my mind is bursting at the seams. i must make a list.

okay - last random thing, i promise.

as it has been raining oh SO much, my roses are starting to bloom again. i guess they like water. go figure.


but guess what else likes the rain? weeds.


i swear these weren't here last week. i walked out there this morning and there they were. virtually covering the entire bed. ugh.

so -there it is. our weekend. in a nutshell.

happy monday to you all.
if you have any ideas of fun projects for b. or miss charlotte... give me a shout. i'll add them to my list.

you've got to be kidding.

i broke my sewing machine today.

"broke? you must be exaggerating!" you say.

"nope, BRO-OOOKE!" i say.

"how?" you ask?

well, after all of the wonderful comments, suggestions, emails and texts i received on my previous post, i got into the sewing mode. i looked up all sorts of random ideas on sewing blogs. i spent hours on etsy trying to find cute things to 'copy'. i was sooooo inspired.

so today, i swung by hobby lobby, as i have a gift certificate there, and picked up two 'calico prints'. one pink, one blue. and then i picked up two 'minky' fabrics. one pink, one blue. {see where this is going?} i decided i would try my hand at making some baby blankets, loveies, burp cloths, whatever i could think of and simply practice.

{side note: my girlfriend who suggested i get a sewing machine just found out she's having a girl - so i know that she would more than welcome being my guinea pig... hence the pink fabrics}.

so, i got home, put brady down for a nap and got started. i pulled out a few 'scrap' fabrics i had left over from his nursery and cut them to size for a 'lovey', pinned them, threaded my bobbin and was ready to start.

no one {i repeat no one} told me that i'm not really supposed to be sewing on thick fabric. or let's just say, there's probably a special way to sew on thick fabric that i didn't know about {p.s. how was i supposed to know about that?!?}

so, needless to say, an hour later i was on the phone with a sewing place in plano walking through how i threaded my bobbin. every time i'd pull the needle down to pick up the thread, it would hit some sort of metal.

"were you sewing on a thick fabric before this happened? did you have to sort of tug it through, ma'am?" the elderly woman asked me.

"uh... yes, that's exactly what i was doing. why?"

apparently, i 'threw my machine out of time'. WHAT??? i didn't even know it was possible to break a sewing machine, short of breaking a needle, that is.

so.... it will cost me no less than $80 to get a brand new sewing machine fixed.

my dreams of being a sewing goddess were whisked away as soon as they arrived.

bye bye, bobbin. bye bye, needle. bye bye, cute baby blankets. i will see you soon.

slacker

So, the Hubbs was in the garage last night and came back in, looked at me and said:

"I'm glad that sewing machine is being put to good use!"

Well, excuuuuuuuuseee me!

It's not my fault that I don't want to go spend $50 on fabric that is just to play around with!

It's not my fault that any extra $$ I have right now goes to my new habit {#13 - it's not necessarily always cheap}.

It's not my fault that #1 is going to cost me $100 just to enter the race, not to mention these little races here and there that are $20/pop or the new pump-up music, I need to get from iTunes {thanks for helping me out with that, Joanna!}.

And it's certainly not my fault that there are too many sewing projects around my house {and in my head} that I don't even know where to begin.

Okay, so maybe it is my fault.

Maybe the Hubbs is right. **I can't believe I said that**

I need to get motivated. No, scratch that, I want to get motivated.

I need a good project to start. Any ideas?

Any ideas on where to get cute, cheap fabric?

Help. Please.

sewing project #1.

so.... i was dying to use my new sewing machine that santa brought me. i finally got it threaded last night and then played around with some scraps of fabric and different stitches my machine makes. tonight, though, i decided i was brave enough to attempt my first 'project'. (i was still using my scrap fabric so i didn't feel too much pressure not to mess up).

i originally got the idea here.

of course meg's is MUCH cuter than my feeble attempt. the pillow part isn't that bad, the circles, however, are another story. but before you judge, please keep in mind this is my very first attempt to use my sewing machine... to actually make something, that is.

oh - and no, i was not attempting to get the circles centered... (the hubbs asked me that question).