W.I.P. Wednesday

I am glad I can sneak in this post today while Kage is napping because I am really excited to share this. This project has to be one of the most practical and needed things I have made in a long time. It felt so good to get this made. It is a babywearing coat. These retail for somewhere between $150 to $200. Mine cost a grand total of $9. The coat cost $7 from the thrift store and the knit fabric and elastic were already in my stash and maybe cost another $2.

I wear Ember pretty much all the time, as I did for Kage, both in the home and when we are out and about. It makes life so much easier for all of us. She gets the physical contact and security that is essential for her as a baby and I can have my hands free to play with Kage or get the housework done. It replaces the need for swings, exersaucers, bouncers and other baby holders.  We had a few of those with Kage and found we never needed them and got rid of them all.  It was nice to have the space back in our house! Plus, she loves being up high so she can see what is going on around her. The view is much more interesting than what she gets on the floor.

Since the cool weather is here, I needed a better solution to keep us both warm when we go out. Getting both of us bundled up separately and then trying to put her in the baby carrier is hard because of all the bulk.  Another benefit of this coat is being able to leave for a walk while she is already sleeping on my back and not having to wake her to put a jacket on. I can just slip this one over the both of us and away we go! The same for when we get home because going for walks outside always puts her to sleep.

I sewed things on, cut them off, and sewed them on again. I will make a few changes next time, but the finished product is awesome! I have had  many people ask me about it while we are out. It is quite cute to see her little head poking out the back. If I can manage, I will do a step-by-step tutorial and post it here in case anyone else wants to make one of these.

This first jacket is a lighter weight coat and I think it is great for weather 45 degrees and up. We needed a heavier coat for those really cold days that will be coming soon. Lucky for me, I scored this second coat on Monday while we were waiting for Bruce to have his surgery. There is a great thrift store right around the corner from the medical building he went to, so after we dropped him off we headed over there for some shopping. I never pass up an oportunity to do some thrift shopping!

This beautiful, cranberry colored, super stuffed, cushy jacket is going to keep us toasty warm for sure! It cost me a bit more at $15 but looks absolutely brand new. Now I just need to figure out what fabric to use as the side panels. I typically like to stay away from fleece and prefer to use more natural fabrics when I can, but it might be a good option for warmth and there is such a huge selection of printed fleece at my local fabric store that I bet I can find something fun to use.

The other project in the works is Ember’s Oriental Lilly dress. I have the skirt all done and it is so cute! Now I just need to get the sleeves knitted and it will be complete. I will be using the black yarn for the sleeves since I have used up every last inch of variegated yarn trying to get the length which ended up more of a tunic than a dress.

As I went to take this photo, a little someone jumped on the floor and said “Take picture Kagey Boy!” So, the dress isn’t in focus, but it’s all you get till next week when hopefully it will be done and I can take some action shots.

Finally, thanks for all the well wishes!  They mean a lot to me.  Bruce’s surgery went quickly and with no problems. He has been sleeping for the past 48 hours straight except for waking to take more pain medication and nibble on something to eat. We are hoping he is getting through the worst of it now and will be feeling a little better by tomorrow so he can enjoy Thanksgiving.

 

Painting Snowflakes and Stars

Celebrating the holidays truly is more exciting now that we have our children in our lives.  Before they were born I was kind of ho-hum about the Yule. We often would wait until the last minute to get our tree. Not anymore. Last year we went out the day after Thanksgiving to get our tree and will do the same this year.

Last year I decided that I wanted to get rid of all our yucky, cheap ornaments. They were so cold and impersonal with no meaning behind them. My vision is to have our home and tree decorated by things we have made ourselves.  My plan was to make many new ones to replace the ones I got rid of, but being pregnant with Ember kind of threw that plan off course. We ended up with quite a bare tree.

So this year I am hoping to make some new decorations and think involving Kage in the process of creating them will make it that much more special for him as well. Our first ornament project was painting snowflakes and stars. I found these unfinished wood ornaments at Joanns for super cheap.

I am glad I decided to use watercolors to paint them because the color goes on so beautifully. You can still see the grain of the wood through the paint and the colors blend seamlessly.  This yielded a much different and more natural look than if we had used something like acrylic paints.

This has turned into a three part project since Kage lost interest after a few ornaments and we had eight to paint. We sat down to paint more the following day and now that they are all dry I need to print out photos for part three. We made four stars, one for each family member and I will cut out our photos and glue them into the star. I’ll update with a photo of them all completed once they are done.

On a completely separate note,  Bruce is going in for Lasik eye surgery this afternoon. It turns out that he needs the less common kind of eye surgery which requires a much longer and very painful recovery. He will be doped up on pain medication and unable to see for the next few days so I will be busy taking care of him and the kids on my own. So, I might be absent for a few days. If  the kids cooperate and I am not completely exhausted, I will at least try to get my W.I.P. post done.

Guess who is in the Palumba catalog?

Our own little Ember! I was so very excited to get the new Palumba catalog in the mail this week. They notified me last week that our photo was selected and would be featured in the new 2009/2010 catalog.

And when I turned to page three, there she was!

I snapped this photo while I was taking her three month photos. I remembered reading on the Palumba website that they were accepting photos for their new catalog and all entries would receive a 10% off coupon. Since I wanted to place an order with them anyways, I went ahead and submitted two photos of her playing with her beautiful cherry rattle that our sweet friend Nicole gave us. Thank you Nicole! The other photo is featured here on their website.

As a thank you gift for using our photos in their catalog, they gave us this beautiful cherry wood spoon and bowl. I was wanting to get this for Ember for Yule and was so excited they selected this as our gift. What a wonderful prize indeed! There is something so beautiful about this simple wood bowl and spoon. The cherry wood is just gorgeous and it will be a special part of our daily rhythms once Ember starts eating solid foods.

 

Bzzzzz

Ember’s Halloween photos are done. I know they are almost three weeks late, but who will remember in another 5 or 10 years. At least I got them done before Thanksgiving. I was just procrastinating going to the fabric store to get white fleece which I used as the backdrop. Then I had to have the sun shining, Kage napping and her in a good mood all at the same time to get them taken. Basically wait for all the planets to align as it were.  I am pretty happy with how they came out. Oh, and thank goodness I didn’t make that bow any bigger! It almost ate her up.

W.I.P. Wednesday – Back to Knitting

I was off on a sewing binge for a while, but I have finally gotten some yarn back on the needles. It hasn’t been that long since I knit up the last project, but my fingers sure did miss it. There is something so therapeutic for me in knitting.

I am half way done with this Oriental Lily for Ember. The project would have been done now, but I have done a lot of frogging. I knit the entire bodice, only to realize it was probably going to be too small. So, I scrapped that and started over in the next size up.

I also have frogged the skirt, underneath the black band, twice now because of pooling. I tried doing the increases two ways and it still pooled, which I really don’t like. Now I am going to try alternating strands of yarn and hope that does the trick.

I am really excited that I finally bought this 100% silk yarn for Ember’s new pilot cap which I want to give her as a Yule gift.  Her current hat is fitting really well now, so I imagine she will be outgrowing it by then. I can’t wait to get this on the needles too!

And not to scare any of you crafters out there, but did you know we only have 37 days left till Yule? Actually, 36 days and 16 hours as I write this post. Yikes it is coming fast.

I am  also working on Kage’s birthday. The invites were sent out to my family this past week. I want to make Kage a new birthday crown but am being so indecisive. I wanted to find some pretty yarn to put around the base of the crown, but I just can’t find anything I like. Since I don’t know what colors to buy, I haven’t bought my wool felt either. Ack! Only 16 days till his 2nd birthday. I better make a decision and get something ordered today or I am going to be in trouble.

Which season are we in?

Is it fall? The weather here certainly has kept us all guessing. It has been 40 one day and 70 the next for the past several weeks. It is driving me crazy. I am not ungrateful for today’s weather, which was sunny and 74, but it is such a tease knowing we will be headed back into the cool weather again in a day or two.

While I do enjoy all four seasons and I am glad we live in a place where we can experience them all, summer is really my season. I love the sun and the beach. Transitioning into winter can be hard for me. Once we are in the middle of winter, I seem to acclimate to the cold okay. This back and forth weather however, really messes with me and more than just on an emotional level. I have been fighting off a cold of some sort for weeks now and I know it is because of the weather being so indecisive. I kindly request mother nature to pick a season already.

Anyway, we did get out today as a family to enjoy this last hurrah of summer weather. We headed over to a beautiful park near us which over looks the river and its falls. I forgot that this place was such a big tourist attraction and on a day like today it was so very crowded. It kind of took away from the peacefulness of being outdoors, since for me much of the enjoyment comes from the silence, but we still had a great time.

Passing the time in the car on the way to the park.

As I mentioned, it was really crowded at the park. Getting into the park once we turned off the main road took twenty minutes. I had to sit in the back with the kids and do some entertaining to keep them from going crazy sitting in stop and go traffic. To keep myself entertained, I took out the camera practice my focus which I am still having trouble with when shooting “wide open”.

After my post talking about how much Ember hates the car seat, I just had to share this smile I got from her today! She really can be happy in the seat it seems. I guess the key is me sitting in the back and entertaining her. Unfortunately, I am usually on my own with the kids when in the car so this won’t be a common occurrence.

A rare happy smile while in the car seat.

Once we finally got in to the park we made our way to the scenic overlooks and were met with these wonderful views.

Looking west.

Looking east.

It was really nice getting to spend some time outdoors as a family today. We haven’t been so great about doing that. Granted, we did just add a second baby to the family and we are still getting back on our feet. It is something we want to work on. I have always envisioned our family spending lots of time out doors and teaching the kids to enjoy the beauty of nature.

It is all too easy (especially for me) to get caught up in getting things done around the house on the weekends. We also seem to go out and do things on our own, usually errands, either me with Ember or Bruce with Kage. I guess simply because it is easier with just one kid to contend with instead of two. And then there are all the excuses, like us being tired today, that tend to keep us from getting outside.

One of the good things that came out of our family trip was the re(realization) that being outside is important to us and something we love. And with that, the promise to do this more often! So, I am seeing some hiking trips this winter with a few bundled up kids and a thermos of hot chocolate to share.

Today, I loved seeing Kage get to spend quality time with his Daddy who he absolutely adores.

Some father and son bonding time.

They had such a great time today jumping in puddles and climbing rocks. Kage wanted to climb every rock we passed by, which was a lot! I just love seeing him soaking up his outdoor surroundings.

Hearing himself splash in the puddles surely was a treat.

Taking in the view.

A rare photo of the me (since I am usually behind the camera) and Ember.

Exploring the inside of a tree.

I thought I would end this post with a few things I am grateful for.

• A little boy who climbed into bed tonight with no promting from his parents and asked his daddy to tell him a bedtime story.
• Having a husband that shares the love of nature with me.
• Getting to spend some time with my Uncle and Aunt this past week who I haven’t seen in two years.

W.I.P. Wednesday

It was one of those weeks. You know. The kind that has flown by and you haven’t a clue what you actually acomplished. I think I didn’t get anything done other than my sister’s Yule gift. I finished sewing at midnight the night before she left. Just in the nick of time.

A pair of lounge shorts and a matching head scarf is what I made her. The lounge shorts were made using the same pattern as my lounge pants. Since it is hot all year round in Nicaragua, I didn’t think my sister would need pants so I modified them and made shorts. The head scarf is from Weekend Sewing and I have three for myself that I wear pretty much everyday. I love them.

I picked out the fabric based on her needing something that does not show dirt easily. She lives in a very, very, very rural area. I am talking taking bucket showers, using an outhouse that is actually outside of the house and having to pay a woman to wash her clothes on a rock in the river. I am not kidding. The nearest washing machine is a two hour bus ride away!! I can’t imagine. Oh how I love my front loader washing machine even more now.

I made her a matching draw string bag to hold her gift. I love these little bags.

And that is all of my WIPs. Kind of makes me anxious considering how much I have left to do before Yule.

Where did the week go I ask again?  As I look around my house tonight I just see lots of mess. Three baskets of clean clothes that have been waiting to be put away for days now. A pile of pants that Kage pulled out of our closet while I was trying to get a shower this morning. Guess he thought it was time to reorganize.

My bed unmade and covered with toys and a mixture of clean and dirty clothes.  No time to get to that today either and I have to toss it all on the floor so I can put the kids to bed.

But after telling some wonderful stories and having my two little ones drift off to sleep peacefully, I rememeber that they are indeed my finest W.I.P.s this week and every week. I love how beautiful sleeping babies are. No worries at all.

Sleep tight my little ones.

A Calm Mind

Today we managed to get out of the house by 10:00 a.m.! That might not sound like a big deal to some, but this is not easy for me yet.  It took about an hour and a half of running around the house at a frenzied pace trying to get the three of us fed, dressed, and bags packed to go on a nature walk with some friends from our Attachment Parenting group. Really, some days getting out of the house with both kids by myself seems like mission impossible.

Once we are in the car though, we have to endure Ember screaming the entire way to our destination. She hates, hates, hates the car seat. When does this get better? It is really wearing on me. She is fed, taken to the potty (we practice elimination communication) and has a clean diaper on when we leave. But she always cries. Always. She finally fell asleep about 20 minutes in to the 25 minute ride. She has a toy to play with and I try singing to her, talking to her and even reaching around my seat to touch her so she knows I am there. Nothing works and it makes me sad (not to mention the headache it gives me).

Anyway, we were really glad to get out of the car once we were at the wildlife sanctuary.  I am so glad we went.

This was the first real walk in the woods we have taken since Ember was born. We go walking often in our neighborhood which has some nice paths, but it just isn’t the same as being in the woods.

As we headed down the short walk to the pond, all my stressed melted away. The busy chatter in my mind that never wants to turn off was silenced. Walking in the woods is the best meditation there is. When I have meditated at home, it is always a struggle. I have to fight my mind to get it to be quiet. I know that is what the practice of meditation is all about, but when we were on our walk, I found my mind was calm and quiet without me having to do anything. I just had to be there. Be present. Enjoy the smell of woods and hear the birds. Watch the leaves falling. Not hard at all.

Giant sized leaves were discovered.

Beautiful textures on trees were noticed.

Mossy covered fallen trees were touched.

And we just sat. Enjoying the view (even though the pond was nearly empty of water). The silence was wonderful.

I loved being outside today and look forward to more outdoor meditation soon. I think it is what cures me.

And the winner is…

Imene of A Journey to a Simple Happy Life!  Congrats Imene! Look for an email from me today. Thanks to everyone else that entered.

Lady Luck and a Giveaway

I have been one very lucky lady over the past few weeks. I won two awesome giveaways and receiveded the best swap package ever through the vintage swap. I am going pay it forward and share some of the goodies I got in the vintage giveaway because I have way more than I can use. More details about that at the end of the post.

The first wonderful giveaway I won was hosted by the amazing Garden Mama. If you haven’t checked out her blog, you are missing out. She has the most beautiful children, photos and words to go with them. The prize I won was this set of adorable hand knit creatures and fall garland made by Suzanne of  Down in the Meadow Market.  These little animals are beautifully made and will be kept tucked away unti next month when Kage turns two.  I can’t wait to give them to him on his birthday.

I couldn’t believe I was the lucky winner. See, the thing is, only three days  before Garden Mama posted her giveaway, I stumbled across Suzanne’s Etsy shop on my own and thought to myself, “What a lovely garland! I would love to have that myself. Maybe I will try to make one.” And I did start one. That is what this long felted i-cord was for. I will be saving that i-cord for a winter or spring garland now that I have this beautiful one hanging in my dining room right were I wanted it the first time I saw it! How amazing is that? Love at first sight I think. Thank you Suzanne! I you haven’t checked out her Etsy store, stop on by. She has so many wonderful hand made items there that will make special gifts for the upcoming holidays.

This fabulous package that showed up at my door was from my Vintage Swap partner Sarah. I squealed with delight as I pulled out each item. She could have started and ended with the pyrex dish and I woul have been thrilled because it is so cute and matches my mixing bowl set.

But, she went on and included this vintage apron which I adore and have been wearing already. The lace pieces were hand made by her great grandmother’s uncle! I feel so priveledged to have these and will be saving them until I find just the right use for them. The Learn How To book is a wonderful vintage booklet explaining the arts of crochet, knitting and needlecraft and was fun to read through. The Vogart item is a hand embroidery pattern consisting of seven different flowers, one for each day of the week.  I can’t wait to find a special place to use this as well. I forgot to include a beatiful vintage table cloth in the photo. Thank you so much Sarah! I treasure all your items. It was wonderful getting to know you. Thank you to Heather as well for hosting the swap.

The second giveaway I won was from Jessica at A Little Bunny. She had stumbled across a huge stash of vintage patterns and goodies during one of her shopping trips. She was kind enough to share some of them and I was the lucky winner! Here are three of my favorite patterns.

Here is an old Butterick ad I found in the box. The graphic designer in me loves this and it is hanging  in my sewing room now.

Thank you so much Jessica! This was such an awesome gift.  Jessica  sent me so much stuff that I am going to offer some as a giveaway myself. There is just no way I could ever use all the patterns she sent me, so I have pulled out my favorites and have a small box of vintage goodness ready to pass on to another lucky winner. Post your comment here by Monday, Nov. 9 at 9 p.m. EST to be entered to win.  I will select one lucky winner via random number generator and post the winner on Tuesday.