This should post while I'm on vacation ... today we are scheduled to be in New Orleans ... or if it doesn't post when it's supposed to we're probably somewhere else!
The other night I, not for the first time, decided I was sick and tired of being the maid for this shambolic crew.
I had stepped on one Lego too many and sidestepped the last shoe I was going to. The final straw(s) was the sticky stuff spilled and left on the kitchen floor, topped by the sand on the kitchen floor, the full to overflowing trash can, the full vacuum cleaner, the dirty clothes in my bathroom, the unfolded laundry in the hallway, and the general chaos left in my bedroom.
Momma wasn't happy. Momma laid down the law at breakfast the next day. You don't do your share, you don't get. The bottom line was pretty simple ... make a mess, clean it up ... get something out, put it away ... see something that needs to be done, do it. By the time I was finished the children were staring at me as if I was either insane or dead serious ... whichever they thought it was it has worked so far ... the six other people who live in this house have been cleaning up after themselves and doing their chores.
So then what's the B.O.A.T. bucket? I heard this idea years ago from another Mom of an unruly crew. She took things the kids left laying around and stuck them in a huge garbage can and let the kids pay to get them back. The B.O.A.T. bucket is the "bucket of abandoned things" and is a huge clear rubbermaid tub just perfect for shoes, books, toys, clothes, etc. left laying around.
K. has been busy trying to find other people's things to put in the bucket, and I've been busy explaining that that's not how it works. Other than that, it's working well and the B.O.A.T. bucket has stayed empty for two days. I'm sure there will be things in it soon enough, after the new wears off, but that's ok, it'll be a good learning tool.
**I hope this posts on Friday. I love the delayed posting feature blogger offers but it doesn't always work correctly, so if it's not Friday ... well, the intention was there!
Gift of Green commented on my grocery budgeting and deals so I thought I'd expand a little on that.
To be fair, Jason isn't home most evenings so our bigger meal is usually lunch ... which we'll do with entree, salad, fruit, etc. but still it's not as big as dinner would be.
Once a week, usually Thursday evening, I check the grocery circulars (online), read shopping blogs, check my coupons from the Sunday paper and Internet, and write my lists for each store, with notes about what coupons to use. Then I paperclip each list to the corresponding coupons. I dislike grocery shopping so only buying what's on my list is pretty easy ... my goal is to get the heck out of there.
I used to do all my grocery shopping at Sam's and Costco but am now at a point where I'll buy produce, milk, eggs, cheese, and chicken at Sam's but not really anything else.
Once every three weeks I go to the bread store and stock up (never paying more than $1 a loaf). I don't think we've bought bread at a grocery store in at least a year. We don't need to ... the bread at the outlet store is perfect. We also get buns, bagels, and English muffins there. One day a week everything is 20% off ... we try hard to get there then. I've been to bread stores in other areas, some are more expensive than ours and some are less ... it seems to be pretty hit or miss. $15 worth of bread products will last about three weeks at our house, and that's eating a loaf of bread almost every day.
When the pantry starts to run really low I'll go to the dent and bent store. I can easily fill (to the top!) a cart with canned fruits and veggies, taco shells and seasonings, seasonings, juices, organic snacks and cereals, etc. for $50. Our local store is very well organized, so while I do look packages over carefully it's at least quick and easy to find everything.
We pretty much plan our meals around what's on sale. If I end up with ingredients I don't quite know what to do with I google them all together and see what pops up. We've come up with some winners, and a few losers, this way.
I find that the best way to stay on budget is to use cash. When our budgeting "week" starts (Thursday) I'll withdraw the alloted cash for the week. It's much easier for me to not go over budget that way. I don't do that every week and the weeks I don't are the weeks I'm more apt to spend more than I'd like to.
I'm not a grocery $ saving pro. I don't think I ever will be ... I am so thankful that there are bloggers out there, like The Centsible Sawyer and Be CentsAble who are pros and do the legwork for the rest of us, it makes a world of difference.
I hope that's helpful.
Gift of Green commented on my grocery budgeting and deals so I thought I'd expand a little on that.
To be fair, Jason isn't home most evenings so our bigger meal is usually lunch ... which we'll do with entree, salad, fruit, etc. but still it's not as big as dinner would be.
Once a week, usually Thursday evening, I check the grocery circulars (online), read shopping blogs, check my coupons from the Sunday paper and Internet, and write my lists for each store, with notes about what coupons to use. Then I paperclip each list to the corresponding coupons. I dislike grocery shopping so only buying what's on my list is pretty easy ... my goal is to get the heck out of there.
I used to do all my grocery shopping at Sam's and Costco but am now at a point where I'll buy produce, milk, eggs, cheese, and chicken at Sam's but not really anything else.
Once every three weeks I go to the bread store and stock up (never paying more than $1 a loaf). I don't think we've bought bread at a grocery store in at least a year. We don't need to ... the bread at the outlet store is perfect. We also get buns, bagels, and English muffins there. One day a week everything is 20% off ... we try hard to get there then. I've been to bread stores in other areas, some are more expensive than ours and some are less ... it seems to be pretty hit or miss. $15 worth of bread products will last about three weeks at our house, and that's eating a loaf of bread almost every day.
When the pantry starts to run really low I'll go to the dent and bent store. I can easily fill (to the top!) a cart with canned fruits and veggies, taco shells and seasonings, seasonings, juices, organic snacks and cereals, etc. for $50. Our local store is very well organized, so while I do look packages over carefully it's at least quick and easy to find everything.
We pretty much plan our meals around what's on sale. If I end up with ingredients I don't quite know what to do with I google them all together and see what pops up. We've come up with some winners, and a few losers, this way.
I find that the best way to stay on budget is to use cash. When our budgeting "week" starts (Thursday) I'll withdraw the alloted cash for the week. It's much easier for me to not go over budget that way. I don't do that every week and the weeks I don't are the weeks I'm more apt to spend more than I'd like to.
I'm not a grocery $ saving pro. I don't think I ever will be ... I am so thankful that there are bloggers out there, like The Centsible Sawyer and Be CentsAble who are pros and do the legwork for the rest of us, it makes a world of difference.
I hope that's helpful.
I hinted at this a week or so ago, but no one picked up on it, or at least no one mentioned it. Hmmph. So I guess I'll just come out and say it (the title gives it away though, maybe?*).
We're having a boy. Boy #4. As K. keeps telling me there will now be 5 males in this house and only 3 girls. That's ok, K., all of us females are still older than you!
We're having a boy. Boy #4. As K. keeps telling me there will now be 5 males in this house and only 3 girls. That's ok, K., all of us females are still older than you!
Jason and I were both sure, for different reasons, that this one was a girl. However, I've always, every single time, been wrong when I've tried to guess so I didn't give my "instinct" any credit.
We're excited, and most especially happy that the babe looks great ... everything seems to be going well with him.
The shopping has begun. The day I found out I was pregnant (one week before the store closed) Jason and I raided the racks at Ditto Kiddo, gathering all the boy and girl clothes we wanted in every size up to 3 years. I'm sure we looked like we were nuts ... oh heck, at that point we were feeling more than a little nuts. There wasn't a huge selection, since we'd been marking things down for a month, but we did alright. And now we don't need any of the girl stuff (and it's so cute!) so it has been sold/taken to the consignment store with the money going towards new boy gear. The images are a few of the adorable things I've picked up this week at Once Upon a Child and Trader Tots (her prices are incredible).
The shopping has begun. The day I found out I was pregnant (one week before the store closed) Jason and I raided the racks at Ditto Kiddo, gathering all the boy and girl clothes we wanted in every size up to 3 years. I'm sure we looked like we were nuts ... oh heck, at that point we were feeling more than a little nuts. There wasn't a huge selection, since we'd been marking things down for a month, but we did alright. And now we don't need any of the girl stuff (and it's so cute!) so it has been sold/taken to the consignment store with the money going towards new boy gear. The images are a few of the adorable things I've picked up this week at Once Upon a Child and Trader Tots (her prices are incredible).
We found out we were having a boy because I went to the emergency room a week ago Saturday for bleeding concerns. The bleeding started at 14 weeks, and stopped completely around 16 weeks. I hadn't mentioned it here because we didn't want to worry the kids if we didn't need to. I've had numerous ultrasounds and everything has looked ok, except that there's a pocket of blood between the uterus and placenta, called a subchorionic hematoma. That's what seemed to be causing the bleeding problems. At almost 18 weeks the bleeding started again, of course on a Friday night when I can't see my OB until Monday, so we went to the ER (C. went with us, which is why I'm more comfortable mentioning all this here). The US tech wasn't able to find the bleed but everything else looked fine and the baby was right on schedule and appeared quite healthy and appropriately active, with a steady strong heartbeat ... and boy parts. Within a few days the bleeding stopped and hasn't started again. I've been on very limited activity for the last 5 weeks ... lots of resting, no lifting, etc. I feel like a lump. I've always believed pregnancy is just a fact of life, not an illness or handicap, so suddenly having to be very careful has been hard to get used to. The potential consequences, though, are keeping me in line and well behaved. The babe has been busy lately, lots of wiggling and jiggling, which is so reassuring and, of course, just plain heartwarming.
I have realized, by the by, that I don't look very pregnant. No, I just look larger. Apparently, when you start out a lot wee bit on the rounder-all-over side you don't get pregnant and look like Heidi Klum, with just a cute tummy to show off. Nope, you just look even rounder - all over. It's a little embarrasing to find out that people are ready and willing to accept the fact that I've gained a ton of weight in just a few months ... rather than deducing that I might be pregnant!
Signed ...
Really Round Lumpy Jody of the Testosterone Filled Home
*Mr. Winky is slang for that male body part (I don't know ... can I say the real term without attracting "interesting" new visitors to the blog?)
My little quilt has been sent and received by the lovely Ulla, in Sweden, so here are the completed images of it. There are a few images on her site as well.
The quilt measures about 20" by 22" total, I believe.
The background fabric is very white, not the lovely shade of hazy off-white in the above image.
Looking back I can't believe that I let myself get frustrated by this, because by the end even I didn't notice the little "off" areas. I'm really happy with the end result. I hope Ulla is as well.
This was my first attempt at making a label myself. I simply ironed a piece of fabric to freezer paper, put it in the printer, and used a word program to write what I wanted, and then heat set it after it printed. It took two tries, the first attempt jammed in the printer, but overall it couldn't have been any easier.
The quilt measures about 20" by 22" total, I believe.
The background fabric is very white, not the lovely shade of hazy off-white in the above image.
Looking back I can't believe that I let myself get frustrated by this, because by the end even I didn't notice the little "off" areas. I'm really happy with the end result. I hope Ulla is as well.
This was my first attempt at making a label myself. I simply ironed a piece of fabric to freezer paper, put it in the printer, and used a word program to write what I wanted, and then heat set it after it printed. It took two tries, the first attempt jammed in the printer, but overall it couldn't have been any easier.
We finally hooked up the store computer and I've been playing around on it this evening. I'm lying ... I haven't been playing, I've been trying to get our #*( printer to work with it, and have seriously debated throwing the computer out a window ... more than once.
I've been asked, a lot, how I feel about the store now that I'm away from it. Well, I miss it. A lot. Almost nightly I dream about having a store, not necessarily the same as Ditto Kiddo, but something of my own. A place where I can do the displays, talk to grown-ups, get excited about the products I'm selling, and hopefully even earn a little money ... an outlet for me to be the business person me as well as the creative me.
I've thought about getting a retail job and nixed that idea quickly. I'm not ready to work for someone else and not be the boss ... I'm pretty sure I'd be too set in my ways and opinionated.
I don't miss it in a sad and depressed kind of way, more of a "wow, this was my life for 9 years and suddenly it's completely gone, what do I do about that?" kind of way. I think no one is more surprised than me by that ... I was really ready to move on, and I'm still perfectly glad that I did, but I thought I'd lock the doors and never look back, and that hasn't been the case at all. I'm glad, it reminds me that I spent all those years doing something I loved, and I do look back at Ditto Kiddo with a lot of love and joy.
Jason and I have talked a bit about opening another business someday. Obviously not now, closing the store when we did couldn't have been timed any better, and I couldn't be more grateful. There's no way I could have worked with the issues I've had during this pregnancy. Also, it's great being home with the kids ... certainly a lot different than working, even different than having them at work, but wonderful. But maybe someday ...
I've been asked, a lot, how I feel about the store now that I'm away from it. Well, I miss it. A lot. Almost nightly I dream about having a store, not necessarily the same as Ditto Kiddo, but something of my own. A place where I can do the displays, talk to grown-ups, get excited about the products I'm selling, and hopefully even earn a little money ... an outlet for me to be the business person me as well as the creative me.
I've thought about getting a retail job and nixed that idea quickly. I'm not ready to work for someone else and not be the boss ... I'm pretty sure I'd be too set in my ways and opinionated.
I don't miss it in a sad and depressed kind of way, more of a "wow, this was my life for 9 years and suddenly it's completely gone, what do I do about that?" kind of way. I think no one is more surprised than me by that ... I was really ready to move on, and I'm still perfectly glad that I did, but I thought I'd lock the doors and never look back, and that hasn't been the case at all. I'm glad, it reminds me that I spent all those years doing something I loved, and I do look back at Ditto Kiddo with a lot of love and joy.
Jason and I have talked a bit about opening another business someday. Obviously not now, closing the store when we did couldn't have been timed any better, and I couldn't be more grateful. There's no way I could have worked with the issues I've had during this pregnancy. Also, it's great being home with the kids ... certainly a lot different than working, even different than having them at work, but wonderful. But maybe someday ...
Sarah suggested posting Frugal Fridays and I think it's a great idea, so here goes (yes, a day late).
Grocery shopping yesterday:
Winn Dixie has peaches for $0.8x a pound, I can't remember exactly, but no other great deals, so I bought my 5.5 lbs. of peaches and nothing else. Spent $5. and change.
Then hit Publix where you can use two coupons on BOGO items and the Publix I went to allowed competitors coupons. I bought almost $70 worth of groceries for $22. I thank Fiddledeedee for her Publix posts, which I read every week before making that trip.
Last stop was WalMart, where I had to buy some non-sale and non-coupon items, but which are cheaper at WalMart, and also three coupon items. I spent about $15, and saved $12.
I still need milk, peanut butter (why did no one mention we were out of peanut butter?) and bar soap ... I always check CVS and Walgreens before buying milk, they've usually got it on sale as a loss leader. They don't this week but I have a few coupons I can mix in to save some $.
I budget $125 a week for groceries, paper products, cleaning supplies, meds, etc. for the seven of us. Anything left over can be used to eat out (I love not eating at home). This week I've spent $45 (we start our money spending/budgeting on Thursdays, which is Jason's payday). With the last few things we need I'll end up spending maybe $70 for the week. Sounds great, but the kids needed cash to go out for lunch at sailing yesterday (the whole group goes once every two weeks during summer camp), which put a huge dent (because there is nowhere cheap to eat on the water) in the budget.
Gas tip:
I may be the last to figure this one out. Gas at Super WalMart is usually one of the cheapest in town. If you use a WalMart gift card you save an additional $.03 a gallon. Thanks Thrifty Florida Mama for passing that one along.
Grocery shopping yesterday:
Winn Dixie has peaches for $0.8x a pound, I can't remember exactly, but no other great deals, so I bought my 5.5 lbs. of peaches and nothing else. Spent $5. and change.
Then hit Publix where you can use two coupons on BOGO items and the Publix I went to allowed competitors coupons. I bought almost $70 worth of groceries for $22. I thank Fiddledeedee for her Publix posts, which I read every week before making that trip.
Last stop was WalMart, where I had to buy some non-sale and non-coupon items, but which are cheaper at WalMart, and also three coupon items. I spent about $15, and saved $12.
I still need milk, peanut butter (why did no one mention we were out of peanut butter?) and bar soap ... I always check CVS and Walgreens before buying milk, they've usually got it on sale as a loss leader. They don't this week but I have a few coupons I can mix in to save some $.
I budget $125 a week for groceries, paper products, cleaning supplies, meds, etc. for the seven of us. Anything left over can be used to eat out (I love not eating at home). This week I've spent $45 (we start our money spending/budgeting on Thursdays, which is Jason's payday). With the last few things we need I'll end up spending maybe $70 for the week. Sounds great, but the kids needed cash to go out for lunch at sailing yesterday (the whole group goes once every two weeks during summer camp), which put a huge dent (because there is nowhere cheap to eat on the water) in the budget.
Gas tip:
I may be the last to figure this one out. Gas at Super WalMart is usually one of the cheapest in town. If you use a WalMart gift card you save an additional $.03 a gallon. Thanks Thrifty Florida Mama for passing that one along.
In less than one week our vacation begins! The "new" (I've used it before but love it) header is from the cottage we'll be staying at. I am so ready to be there, sitting in one of those chairs while the children swim and boat themselves into elated exhaustion.
I've never been one to plan ahead, it just makes the wait seem longer, but I have gotten three quilts ready to go on vacation with us ... nothing left to do on them but hand sew the binding.
I'm getting a few more ready, planned to get a few done last night, but we know what happens with well-laid plans ... As I was winding the bobbin to quilt the first one I watched in amusement as ALL the navy thread I had went onto the bobbin, leaving me nothing but a nice white plastic spool. No problem, I think, I can pin another and sew that one. I pinned until I only had a few pins left, most certainly not enough to pin another quilt. And then I would the bobbins, two for this one since it'll be free motion quilted and I'll go through at least two bobbins. Surprise! I watched as the white on the spool got longer and longer until there was barely any thread left. So there I sat, late last night, with few pins and two empty spools.
I gave up and went to bed, but not before watching So You Think You Can Dance. I was very sad when they announced who was cut ... I really liked both of those dancers. We Tivo the show and then barrel through it, skipping all commercials and everything Mary Murphy says (can't take the screaming).
Before we leave for the cottage I need to cut fabric/sheet squares for a swap, sew a nightgown that my belly will fit into for the next few months ... I don't sew clothes and I'm not using a pattern ... you may not ever see a picture of my "concoction" ... we'll see, and I want to finish the rest of the quilts.
Have a great weekend!
I've never been one to plan ahead, it just makes the wait seem longer, but I have gotten three quilts ready to go on vacation with us ... nothing left to do on them but hand sew the binding.
I'm getting a few more ready, planned to get a few done last night, but we know what happens with well-laid plans ... As I was winding the bobbin to quilt the first one I watched in amusement as ALL the navy thread I had went onto the bobbin, leaving me nothing but a nice white plastic spool. No problem, I think, I can pin another and sew that one. I pinned until I only had a few pins left, most certainly not enough to pin another quilt. And then I would the bobbins, two for this one since it'll be free motion quilted and I'll go through at least two bobbins. Surprise! I watched as the white on the spool got longer and longer until there was barely any thread left. So there I sat, late last night, with few pins and two empty spools.
I gave up and went to bed, but not before watching So You Think You Can Dance. I was very sad when they announced who was cut ... I really liked both of those dancers. We Tivo the show and then barrel through it, skipping all commercials and everything Mary Murphy says (can't take the screaming).
Before we leave for the cottage I need to cut fabric/sheet squares for a swap, sew a nightgown that my belly will fit into for the next few months ... I don't sew clothes and I'm not using a pattern ... you may not ever see a picture of my "concoction" ... we'll see, and I want to finish the rest of the quilts.
Have a great weekend!
This morning K. and I came upon a few green t-shirts at JoAnn's for $.50 each ... but only in size 7-8, which, lucky for us, is the size A. and K. wear. Couldn't pass them up! I figured I'd do something with them at some point in time.
We were actually there to get fuschia and navy rit dye for some chenille I'm using as quilt backs.
And then it hit me ... two great tastes that taste great together ... er ... two things that go great together (and would give the boys something to do) ... t-shirts and dye.
And that's how we came to dye t-shirts today, tossing them in with the already being dyed fabric.
So what was the best part? Using an unlimited quantity of rubber bands (scrooge Mommy almost never says "use all you want")? The gloves (inflatable, you know)? Watching the dye turn the sink really dark blue? Putting the shirts in and seeing them change color immediately? Taking the shirts out and seeing their new color (dark green)? Taking the rubber bands off and discovering what they created (which led to some awestruck whispers of "wow" and "oh, this is beautiful")? No, the best part, for them, was seeing what happened to the rubber bands ... how they were striped and not yellow and red anymore!
The only oops was totally my fault ... after we were finished I washed the shirts with the now navy chenille, which hadn't been rinsed enough. There is a lot less color contrast to the shirts now. But still ... they are pretty darn cool.
Pictures taken by C.
Oh, on a completely different subject ... The Children's Place has all their clearance an additional 50% off ... we really scored on shoes today - sandals, flip flops, croc-type girl shoes, sneakers, etc. I bought 8 pairs of shoes for about $37.
We were actually there to get fuschia and navy rit dye for some chenille I'm using as quilt backs.
And then it hit me ... two great tastes that taste great together ... er ... two things that go great together (and would give the boys something to do) ... t-shirts and dye.
And that's how we came to dye t-shirts today, tossing them in with the already being dyed fabric.
So what was the best part? Using an unlimited quantity of rubber bands (scrooge Mommy almost never says "use all you want")? The gloves (inflatable, you know)? Watching the dye turn the sink really dark blue? Putting the shirts in and seeing them change color immediately? Taking the shirts out and seeing their new color (dark green)? Taking the rubber bands off and discovering what they created (which led to some awestruck whispers of "wow" and "oh, this is beautiful")? No, the best part, for them, was seeing what happened to the rubber bands ... how they were striped and not yellow and red anymore!
The only oops was totally my fault ... after we were finished I washed the shirts with the now navy chenille, which hadn't been rinsed enough. There is a lot less color contrast to the shirts now. But still ... they are pretty darn cool.
Pictures taken by C.
Oh, on a completely different subject ... The Children's Place has all their clearance an additional 50% off ... we really scored on shoes today - sandals, flip flops, croc-type girl shoes, sneakers, etc. I bought 8 pairs of shoes for about $37.
It's rainy and ugly here and I can't think of a thing to post about, so go visit the Old Red Barn Co. and try to win a quilt (though my fingers, toes, eyes, etc. are crossed and I intend to win it so you're out of luck, but you can try anyway).
And, just in case you're in need of baby shoes I have a zillion pairs of Bobux listed on eBay right now at an unbeatable price (starting bid is less than wholesale cost). I've mostly listed girls shoes, because I kept the boy ones ... hmm ... I wonder why? :P
And, just in case you're in need of baby shoes I have a zillion pairs of Bobux listed on eBay right now at an unbeatable price (starting bid is less than wholesale cost). I've mostly listed girls shoes, because I kept the boy ones ... hmm ... I wonder why? :P
Jenni at One Thing is the winner of the Because I'm Me gift certificate. Congratulations Jenni!
A few years ago we got a brand new airport, because ours was really old (not really ... it all seems like a complete waste of money to me, but what do I know???). The new airport is on the same property as the old airport but on the other side of the runway. The old airport was 10 minutes from our house, the new one is further but we can still go the "old way" to get there ... or to get to Joann Fabrics. We like going the old way when we can ... we've been watching the water levels of the small lakes along the way, occasionally we're blessed by wildlife - boars, armadillos, birds, etc., and a week or two ago we even saw one of the planes that travels in the presidents entourage (not Air Force 1 though). Yesterday we saw these two pretties, and the "dad" but he didn't make it into the picture. Is it just me or do they have big ears?
Here is the girl quilt with a different border. Yeah, it looks a lot like it did before. I sure wish I'd read all the lovely comments about the first border before I ripped it out, I'd have rethought that decision. But I'm pleased with this and it'll work well on the wall.
M. took on the job of sorting all the buttons, buckles, and clothing repair items from Ditto Kiddo. This was what was left when I walked in the room. I thought it would make a pretty picture.
Have a great weekend.
A few years ago we got a brand new airport, because ours was really old (not really ... it all seems like a complete waste of money to me, but what do I know???). The new airport is on the same property as the old airport but on the other side of the runway. The old airport was 10 minutes from our house, the new one is further but we can still go the "old way" to get there ... or to get to Joann Fabrics. We like going the old way when we can ... we've been watching the water levels of the small lakes along the way, occasionally we're blessed by wildlife - boars, armadillos, birds, etc., and a week or two ago we even saw one of the planes that travels in the presidents entourage (not Air Force 1 though). Yesterday we saw these two pretties, and the "dad" but he didn't make it into the picture. Is it just me or do they have big ears?
Here is the girl quilt with a different border. Yeah, it looks a lot like it did before. I sure wish I'd read all the lovely comments about the first border before I ripped it out, I'd have rethought that decision. But I'm pleased with this and it'll work well on the wall.
M. took on the job of sorting all the buttons, buckles, and clothing repair items from Ditto Kiddo. This was what was left when I walked in the room. I thought it would make a pretty picture.
Have a great weekend.
Here is the girl quilt to match the boyish one I made over the weekend.
This one took much more thought than the blue/green one, largely because I was low on pink and green fabrics ... at least in the "right" shades, and didn't want to spend any money on new fabric. In the end I redid 4 of the blocks, but am happy with the results (but I do like the blue/green one better... shhh...).
After sewing the border on late last night I looked at the quilt and knew immediately the border was not going to work. It will come off and be replaced by something pink that is much less "busy" ... which I will have to buy. While I'm at it I may replace one or two (or more) more squares ... I haven't decided yet, that'll probably depend on the fabrics I find when I finally make it to the fabric store.
See, here it is without the border.
The quilting will be done with bright pink, not fuschia, but a strong on-the-dark-side pink.
I love Caitlin's idea of dying sheets and am planning to go that direction when the time comes.
This one took much more thought than the blue/green one, largely because I was low on pink and green fabrics ... at least in the "right" shades, and didn't want to spend any money on new fabric. In the end I redid 4 of the blocks, but am happy with the results (but I do like the blue/green one better... shhh...).
After sewing the border on late last night I looked at the quilt and knew immediately the border was not going to work. It will come off and be replaced by something pink that is much less "busy" ... which I will have to buy. While I'm at it I may replace one or two (or more) more squares ... I haven't decided yet, that'll probably depend on the fabrics I find when I finally make it to the fabric store.
See, here it is without the border.
The quilting will be done with bright pink, not fuschia, but a strong on-the-dark-side pink.
I love Caitlin's idea of dying sheets and am planning to go that direction when the time comes.
Look at this great fabric that arrived yesterday from Amber at One Shabby Chick.
She'd had a contest a bit ago and I won this great fabric. When Amber announced the contest, and that she'd be giving away fabric, there was no way I wasn't going to enter (I think I was the first entry!). This woman has awesome taste in fabric and a great decorating style. You must check out her blog and see what I'm talking about.
Thank you ... I can't wait to get busy with these "new to me" pieces (first to be used will be the blue with raincoats and umbrellas, I'm head over heels in love with that one).
Don't forget to enter the Because I'm Me Gift Certificate Contest. Entries will be accepted through Thursday.
She'd had a contest a bit ago and I won this great fabric. When Amber announced the contest, and that she'd be giving away fabric, there was no way I wasn't going to enter (I think I was the first entry!). This woman has awesome taste in fabric and a great decorating style. You must check out her blog and see what I'm talking about.
Thank you ... I can't wait to get busy with these "new to me" pieces (first to be used will be the blue with raincoats and umbrellas, I'm head over heels in love with that one).
Don't forget to enter the Because I'm Me Gift Certificate Contest. Entries will be accepted through Thursday.
at least for today.
Yesterday I really wanted to make a quilt, crib sized. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do and stared and stared at my fabric stash. Finally, in an "ah ha" moment I went and looked at my flickr favorites and saw the perfect quilt to make. And I had fabric to make it. So I began cutting and sewing.
Last night I googled for neutral nurseries and nothing jumped out at me. Of course, before I was having a baby I loved everything I saw and now I don't like anything. Pregnancy sure can make one fickle. After looking at hundreds of images (I'm serious) I quit.
Can you believe I'm actually going somewhere with this?
After looking at neutral nursery images and getting discouraged I went upstairs to work on the quilt. And that's when it hit me ... this is just fine for THE quilt. If the baby is a boy.
The quilt will be quilted with navy thread (like the inspiration quilt) and the binding will be navy also, to tone down the brightness a little bit.
It will hang on the wall above a daybed we keep in that room.
But what if it's a girl? Easy peasy. I'm making two quilts, this blue and green one and another, very similar, pink and green one (Lilly Pulitzerish shades). I need three more pink fabrics and then I'll start on it. Both will have the same white sashing.
I'm sure Jason will be extremely disappointed but I've decided not to have him paint the nursery furniture black (he'll still have to paint the crib, but white instead). As much as I think it'd be absolutely beautiful and I really want to do it I it wouldn't match any of the other kids rooms, and I really don't expect the baby to have his own room for too long, so it'll be much more practical to be able to move matching furniture around.
The crib skirt will be white, and I'll just add ric rac to it, green and either pink or blue, or maybe just do all three and call it a day. White sheets, we can always add blue or pink or green or whatever as needed. Bumper ... I'm leaning towards white with embroidery in a variety of colors.
So, for the moment, that's the plan. I am pregnant and fickle though, so it could all change by tonight.
Yesterday I really wanted to make a quilt, crib sized. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do and stared and stared at my fabric stash. Finally, in an "ah ha" moment I went and looked at my flickr favorites and saw the perfect quilt to make. And I had fabric to make it. So I began cutting and sewing.
Last night I googled for neutral nurseries and nothing jumped out at me. Of course, before I was having a baby I loved everything I saw and now I don't like anything. Pregnancy sure can make one fickle. After looking at hundreds of images (I'm serious) I quit.
Can you believe I'm actually going somewhere with this?
After looking at neutral nursery images and getting discouraged I went upstairs to work on the quilt. And that's when it hit me ... this is just fine for THE quilt. If the baby is a boy.
The quilt will be quilted with navy thread (like the inspiration quilt) and the binding will be navy also, to tone down the brightness a little bit.
It will hang on the wall above a daybed we keep in that room.
But what if it's a girl? Easy peasy. I'm making two quilts, this blue and green one and another, very similar, pink and green one (Lilly Pulitzerish shades). I need three more pink fabrics and then I'll start on it. Both will have the same white sashing.
I'm sure Jason will be extremely disappointed but I've decided not to have him paint the nursery furniture black (he'll still have to paint the crib, but white instead). As much as I think it'd be absolutely beautiful and I really want to do it I it wouldn't match any of the other kids rooms, and I really don't expect the baby to have his own room for too long, so it'll be much more practical to be able to move matching furniture around.
The crib skirt will be white, and I'll just add ric rac to it, green and either pink or blue, or maybe just do all three and call it a day. White sheets, we can always add blue or pink or green or whatever as needed. Bumper ... I'm leaning towards white with embroidery in a variety of colors.
So, for the moment, that's the plan. I am pregnant and fickle though, so it could all change by tonight.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend.
You know how sometimes when you photograph a quilt, or other item, it looks "off" even though it isn't in real life?
Well, sometimes it really is the thing you're photographing.
I've pressed, steamed, stretched, and squished and I can't get these waves to budge. It happened in three or four places. I'm not quite sure how they got there but they were there before adding the border and binding. Something to do with the way I sewed the triangles/string rows.
Other than that I like the little quilt a lot. The only thing I'd change is to do the binding in white. I think the rest of the quilt, even though it's made from scraps, has a uniformity and crispness that should have been carried through to the binding, which was made from leftover scraps of binding from other quilts. Next time.
I have a five year old niece, and I think she and her dollies will find a good home for this quilt.
I've also finished the doll quilt for the swap. I'll show some pictures of it after I know the recipient has received it.
Don't forget to enter the gift certificate contest! If you don't see anything for yourself you can either use it to purchase a gift, or pass the gift certificate along as a gift.
You know how sometimes when you photograph a quilt, or other item, it looks "off" even though it isn't in real life?
Well, sometimes it really is the thing you're photographing.
I've pressed, steamed, stretched, and squished and I can't get these waves to budge. It happened in three or four places. I'm not quite sure how they got there but they were there before adding the border and binding. Something to do with the way I sewed the triangles/string rows.
Other than that I like the little quilt a lot. The only thing I'd change is to do the binding in white. I think the rest of the quilt, even though it's made from scraps, has a uniformity and crispness that should have been carried through to the binding, which was made from leftover scraps of binding from other quilts. Next time.
I have a five year old niece, and I think she and her dollies will find a good home for this quilt.
I've also finished the doll quilt for the swap. I'll show some pictures of it after I know the recipient has received it.
Don't forget to enter the gift certificate contest! If you don't see anything for yourself you can either use it to purchase a gift, or pass the gift certificate along as a gift.
In honor of the fact that I've learned how to do a Paypal gift certificate for the shop, and added that goody to the blog and website, Because I'm Me is having a gift certificate give-away.
How to enter? Simple. Visit the shop, pick a favorite item, come back and leave a comment on this post mentioning that item.
What's the prize? I'm so glad you asked. A $15 gift certificate redeemable at Because I'm Me. As you'll notice when you visit the shop that'll easily cover the cost of bibs or onesies (and the shipping too, if you're in the US), or will make a serious dent in the cost of other items. The certificate won't expire, so you don't even have to use it now (but why wait?).
When? Now through Thursday, July 10th. I'll announce a winner on Friday.
***I almost forgot ... to add gift certificates to your shop go to Paypal and log in. Click on "my account", then "profile", then, under financial information, "gifts and discounts", then "create a gift certificate now". It's that easy.
How to enter? Simple. Visit the shop, pick a favorite item, come back and leave a comment on this post mentioning that item.
What's the prize? I'm so glad you asked. A $15 gift certificate redeemable at Because I'm Me. As you'll notice when you visit the shop that'll easily cover the cost of bibs or onesies (and the shipping too, if you're in the US), or will make a serious dent in the cost of other items. The certificate won't expire, so you don't even have to use it now (but why wait?).
When? Now through Thursday, July 10th. I'll announce a winner on Friday.
***I almost forgot ... to add gift certificates to your shop go to Paypal and log in. Click on "my account", then "profile", then, under financial information, "gifts and discounts", then "create a gift certificate now". It's that easy.
When I gathered the mail today I found an unexpected package from Texas. My first thought was that I'd bought something and forgotten ... but we've been so careful I knew that wasn't the case.
I opened it and found this wonderful quilt from Patty. I'm so thrilled! It is so me! Even Jason commented that she read me very well ... he was very impressed (it's nice to have a husband who supports, and even gets excited about, my crafting and sewing).
Also included was a small pincushion stuffed with real, from a field next to her home, cotton. Is that cool or what? My kids were ready to move next to a cotton field so they could start stuffing things.
Patty, thank you for such a wonderful, beautiful surprise. I can tell that a lot of thought and effort went into this quilt and I can't wait to hang it up and enjoy it. I am so blessed.
In baby news, we had a 16 week ultrasound today, pretty in depth ... 'cause I'm still older than the hills (actually, even older, I turned 42 last week). Everything looked terrific, right as it should be. Babe is measuring about 7.5" long and weighs about 6 oz. ... which is quite a bit less than I've gained. We got a great shot of a hand, and plenty of legs and feet. All organs appeared perfect.
When this child is born I'll be having a c-section and will be under general anesthesia. Because of that we decided to find out the sex, which I haven't wanted to do for the last three, but if we wait until delivery I won't know the gender until after I wake up ... making me the last person to know whether I have a boy or a girl. So ...
the baby crossed it's legs, wouldn't budge, and all we know is that we're having a boy or a girl. Go figure!
We have another ultrasound scheduled in 7 weeks because of a complication that seems to have resolved itself (but they want to keep an eye on it).
Thanks again Patty.
I opened it and found this wonderful quilt from Patty. I'm so thrilled! It is so me! Even Jason commented that she read me very well ... he was very impressed (it's nice to have a husband who supports, and even gets excited about, my crafting and sewing).
Also included was a small pincushion stuffed with real, from a field next to her home, cotton. Is that cool or what? My kids were ready to move next to a cotton field so they could start stuffing things.
Patty, thank you for such a wonderful, beautiful surprise. I can tell that a lot of thought and effort went into this quilt and I can't wait to hang it up and enjoy it. I am so blessed.
In baby news, we had a 16 week ultrasound today, pretty in depth ... 'cause I'm still older than the hills (actually, even older, I turned 42 last week). Everything looked terrific, right as it should be. Babe is measuring about 7.5" long and weighs about 6 oz. ... which is quite a bit less than I've gained. We got a great shot of a hand, and plenty of legs and feet. All organs appeared perfect.
When this child is born I'll be having a c-section and will be under general anesthesia. Because of that we decided to find out the sex, which I haven't wanted to do for the last three, but if we wait until delivery I won't know the gender until after I wake up ... making me the last person to know whether I have a boy or a girl. So ...
the baby crossed it's legs, wouldn't budge, and all we know is that we're having a boy or a girl. Go figure!
We have another ultrasound scheduled in 7 weeks because of a complication that seems to have resolved itself (but they want to keep an eye on it).
Thanks again Patty.
Yes, this is a quilt top. In my defense, I made it before the sewing room was cleaned and quilts counted. Actually, it was made the same day I made these, the fact that they are as dissimilar as can be does cause me to worry a little about my mental health. A lot.
I can't recall the measurements of the top, probably about 43" by 43". Working with so many different sized pieces and figuring out what order to sew them in was a lot of fun, especially when it really did all come together.
Ok, see the red couch? Matches these walls. While I was taking the pictures I remembered why I painted the bathroom red. We bought the couch first, Jason's choice but the fabric has a floral pattern so I was ok with it. The curtains in this room also have a lot of the red in them. After entering the house through the front door, passing through theliving room, breakfast area, and the family room, one would reach the bathroom. I thought it'd tie the downstairs together by painting the bathroom a color similar to the living room/dining room colors. The other colors downstairs ... white, pink, blue do flow throughout the rooms so it does end up working out, I just think the red it a lot for a small room. But, for what it's worth, that's the rest of the story.
Our local quilt shop, Quilt Lover's Hangout, had a great sale last weekend and all these fat quarters were just $1. They had bin after bin after bin of them. So much fun to sort through! I also picked up a few charm packs at 40% off.
The bottom three fabrics, the horseshoes and the two beneath it are asking to be made into a boyish cowboy quilt. I think that's a great idea and will be in the sewing room this afternoon.
Oh, and check out the yummy sailboat fabric. Of course I couldn't pass that one up!
Another shop update.
It dawned on me that I'd be more apt to sell things if they were actually for sale somewhere, so I've gone through my inventory and added everything to the shop. I still have some bibs and burp cloths to list, they'll be up this evening after I get some pictures taken.
It dawned on me that I'd be more apt to sell things if they were actually for sale somewhere, so I've gone through my inventory and added everything to the shop. I still have some bibs and burp cloths to list, they'll be up this evening after I get some pictures taken.