Quilts, Sewing & Fabric......Oh My!

Well, friends, I did it!! It didn't take me as long at I thought and both of my children cooperated and actually let me get one complete quilt FINISHED! Yes, it is true. I started it yesterday morning and finished it this afternoon. And....I even had time to make a pillow for Morgan! She was a little upset the quilt wasn't for her, but the last (trial) rag quilt I made I gave to her. I had good intentions of completing my denim rag quilt first, but it just worked out better to do the other first. The rag quilt is going to take a lot more cutting and I had to run to the fabric store yesterday to pick up another pattern. It needed more red.

So, I leave you with pictures of my quilt making experience. With the exception of a few minor issues, it went pretty well. The pretty shiny fabric in the corners of the quilt was a pain in the rear to work with. It was very slippery and I couldn't even get it to cut straight. So there are a couple corners that are not lined up exact, but I think I was able to hide the flaw enough. No big deal, being my first quilt! Then, sewing the top was a pain, but by that time I was ready to be done and didn't go as slow as I could have :-)

Here is a lovely picture of me, taken by my photographer daughter, Morgan. I don't normally get to be on the blog, because I am always behind the camera! Let me tell you, quilting, just like scrapbooking is all about the tools! Here I am cutting and measuring, and as the day went on I was wishing for better tools! Not sure how our grandmas use to make such beautiful quilts without all the modern conveniences!

Morgan proudly stuffing her new pillow!

Green on one side......

Pink on the other.....

And the final product! Dana got to be the quilt holder for the picture since

he is the tallest in the house!

Close up.....

The back side is all flannel

Close up of the back, the cute owls are hard to see in this picture, but you can view in my previous post.

Suzy Homemaker

For those of you that know me well, you know that I have never thought of myself as "Little Suzy Homemaker". I hated cooking and cleaning and in high school didn't see the purpose of taking a sewing class. Now that I am all grown up, I sure wish I would have had interest in those things! One of my summer goals is to teach myself to sew! Yes, my friends, it is true! Nikki wants to learn to sew. For those of you who haven't seen me in years........I have evolved. My house (most of the time) is terribly organized and clean! Well, except for the toys scattered all over the place at any given point of the day.......but let me tell you, it drives me crazy. Clutter drives me nuts! And as for cooking, I LOVE to cook. I don't try new things often just because I have a very small kitchen and 2 children trying to help most of the time.....but someday.....AND now I want to sew!! I always see cute things that I want to buy, but then look at it and think, "Why would I spend that much money on something I can make myself?" So......here you go.....my first sewing project.........It's going to be a long summer :-)

I saw a pattern for this adorable bunny on another blog. I thought it looked easy enough, so I dove right in! Let me tell you, it is more confusing than it looks! Each time I got 2 sides put together, I had to take them apart again because I sewed them together the wrong way! Plus, it was really small so hard to manipulate! No more stuffed animals for awhile!

The girls and I went to Topeka yesterday to do some fabric shopping. My intention was to buy Americana Flannel for my denim rag quilt, but I can't find Americana Flannel anywhere, so I went with plain old cotton. Hopefully it works the same. I bought denim squares already cut off of Ebay.

Now, I should have been done after finding the fabric for my quilt, but nooooo. A fabric store is an adult candy shop! I should have stopped, because about half way through Ava began to melt down! She was tired and hungry and wanted out of the cart. But I couldn't just leave, they hadn't cut my fabric for me yet. I had 2 ladies helping me (I think to get me out of the store with my screaming kid as soon as possible)!!!! So, this is the fabric I ended up with, just because it was pretty and felt good to touch! I think I will try to make a quilt for my girls. Not that they need another quilt, but it might be fun!

Don't you just love the owls??? Who would have thought that birds would be "in"? But I see them all over the place now....fabric, scrapbook paper, wooden crafts, home decor...........

So there you have it! Are you done laughing at me yet??? I promise to post pictures of my finished products (not anytime soon) and then you can decide for yourself :-) They may not be done well, but I will have fun trying!

More Summer Fun!

Do you remember me mentioning that I am the activity director for my 6 year old? Well, we invited another friend over this week to make the time go by! What would we do without friends? I think Morgan and I would drive each other absolutely crazy if she didn't have someone to play with!! Today, Rylee came over to play. They were outside the entire afternoon!

Morgan putting on her goggles so she can see under water!

Rylee floating in their homemade float (Ava's baby pool)
Morgan practicing her backstroke! We are hoping to start up with some occasional lessons until she goes back to the Aquatic Club in the fall.

I Scream, You Scream.......

We all scream for Ice Cream!! Morgan had Kaylen over again yesterday! We went to the summer movie, Shrek 3 and then came home, swam, had ice cream, swam some more and then played with water balloons. When Dana came home, the girls had a blast getting him wet. He was a little too fast for them, but I was armed with the hose! Lucky me! Unfortunately, he doesn't like to lose, so I have a feeling when it is least expected I will be the target! Because of all the water I didn't have my camera out, although it would have been nice to get on film. I do have pictures of the girls from the day.

I'm not sure what the girls were looking at, but when I went to snap the picture, each of them were gazing up at something. Can't figure it out because the only thing above them was the umbrella!

Relaxing in the pool.......ok, honestly, I made them pose for this picture. Do you really think they would slow down long enough for me to get a picture like this?

Summer Fun!

I have been meaning to post these pictures for a couple weeks now, but just haven't had the time. I wanted to play with them first because they were such fun pictures. I don't have Photoshop yet, but used Microsoft Digital Image Pro. I played with hues, transparency and filters. Morgan had her friend, Kaylen, come over and swim a couple weeks ago, so I took advantage of using another person's child as a photo op. Don't get me wrong, I love taking pictures of my own kids, but they don't always cooperate. And Morgan is usually moving 100 miles a minute and won't slow down enough for me to get a good picture! Kaylen moves at a little slower pace and seemed to "take in" all that there was in the pool.

Here they are posing for the camera

Kaylen enjoying the feel of the water trickling down her head
This was my favorite picture of the day! I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but I love the expression on her face!
Here is Ava playing in her little pool. The big girls were a little too crazy in the bigger pool for Ava to tolerate!
This expression is a frequent one on Morgan's face! It goes especially well with goggles and a swimming cap!

It was such a fun day! Now that I have a 6 year old I feel like I am an activity director. Mom isn't fun enough to play with anymore. Everyday, almost immediately after Morgan wakes up she says "I want a friend to play with!" "What are we going to do today? We didn't do anything fun yesterday." And, if we can't have a friend come over she is insistent that I come outside and watch her play. She use to be content exploring and playing by herself outside, but not anymore!! So I say, bring on the friends! They are able to keep Morgan entertained (and less whiny) much longer than I am!!!

In Memory Of.....

June 23, 2007 my grandma passed away from cancer. It has been 1 year, tomorrow, since she has been gone. Tomorrow will be a difficult day for those that loved her, but I think for my grandpa, every day of this past year has been a difficult.

I was not very close to my grandma. She lived in either Kentucky or Florida most of my life so my memories of her are limited to the occasional visits either to her house or when they would come to Iowa for a visit. Otherwise, our relationship consisted of phone calls and birthday cards. When beginning this post, I tried to find a poem or saying that covered all of those feelings or memories to help describe my grandma, but it doesn't exist. She was a unique grandma and a unique person that one poem or quotation couldn't possibly describe all of her attributes. This is what I remember:

1. She loved her family

2. She loved her beer and cigarettes! LOL!!

3. She hated cold weather (they lived in Iowa for a period of time, but always ended up further south)

4. Her roast was the best I ever had (sorry mom!)

5. She spoiled her kids & grand kids when they were near

6. She enjoyed sitting around and talking with family and friends

7. My grandpa adored her & misses her dearly

Here are a few pictures from the last visit I had with her. This was shortly after she was diagnosed and so the trip was basically a trip to say good-bye, because I knew I wouldn't see her again. Morgan and I went to Kentucky with my mom and step-dad and Grandma and Grandpa drove up from Florida. Most of the rest of their family is in Kentucky. It wasn't a pleasant trip. I was pregnant with Ava and sleeping in a camper for about a week. It was also a 12 hour drive there and back. It was nice to see my grandparents and great grandparents again, but it was complete chaos the entire time. Looking back on things, I wish there would have been some alone time with my grandma just to be with her and no one else. But that wasn't like her. Even though the visit to Kentucky wasn't the ideal visit for me, it is exactly what I remember about grandma. Whenever we visited, there was always tons of people around. It was almost always loud with people talking and kids running around and smelly & smokey with all the cigarette smoke and beer! So, had I gotten a little quiet alone time with grandma, I am not sure what I would have done or said to her anyway, because it would have been out of the ordinary. And we all knew what the outcome would be......and what do you say? Of course she knew I was sad & upset and at one point I was in the camper crying (more due to stress of the trip) and she came in and hugged me and promised me she was going to "fight this and will live a long time." I think we both knew that wasn't true, but she was doing what she knew to do and that was to make me feel better. So with all that being said, we love her and miss her. My heart hurts for my grandpa because I know there is an empty space in his heart and home and wish we lived closer to be there for him.

Grandma and my mom - Mom was able to be with Grandma at the end and spent the last couple weeks helping take care of her. I am so glad mom was able to be there. Not something anyone wants to go through, but under the same circumstances I would be there for my mom too.

Grandma and me happily pregnant (and a little nauseous)

This is how I remember her - almost always a smile on her face

Grandma, Mom and Morgan

This is just to show you how many people were around. This many is a little unusual, but close.

Grandma and Grandpa
I take comfort knowing she is in a better place with those that love her and have gone before her. I am sure she is looking down on us and laughing about something with a cigarette in one hand a a glass of beer in the other!

Teddy Bear Picnic

On Wednesday, we had a Teddy Bear Picnic at Kaylen's house! It was so much fun! Kaylen's mom, Lisa, had everything planned......from a picnic to hide-n-seek and learning activity to making their own bears. It was a couple hours full of fun!

Ava was thrilled to see all the bears lying around the yard!

Morgan eating her Teddy Bear lunch - PB & J sandwiches, Cheez Its & Teddy Grahams

Ava eating her lunch.

Teddy Bear hide-n-seek

Exploring the yard

How high do bears fly?

And under the parachute......

Gummy Bear graph (amazing how learning can be fun)

The hot weather made them a little sticky, but Morgan still managed to eat hers

Stuffing their own little bears.

The girls all had a great day! Lisa is a great party planner and doesn't forget a single detail! Each of the girls got to take home their own little picnic basket and little stuffed bears. After the Teddy Bear picnic, fun and games, Kaylen came home with us to swim. Amazing how much energy those girls have! Next playdate will be for July 4 activities!

Inspiration for the day

One of my friends from Iowa sent this video to me. I sobbed throughout the entire video - but what an inspiration.

A Father's Love. WOW!!! This is a true story! A son asked his father, 'Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?'. The father who, despite having a heart condition, says 'Yes'. They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying 'Yes' to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, 'Dad, let's join the Ironman together.' To which, his father said 'Yes' too. For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together. You must see this . . Turn the sound on. (You will have to pause the sound on the bottom of my blog to be able to hear the sound from this video)

Bucket O' Beads

Have you ever had one of those weeks you wish you could get a "do over". Well, this has been one of those weeks. I started this day thinking of a title for this post "When Things Go Wrong - Part 2" and then the bucket of beads happened - which was just icing on the cake!! Actually, it was quite humorous when all was said and done.....but let me tell you about yesterday first. It was a fairly normal day, breakfast, lunch, playing, crafts, you get the idea. Well, we had craft materials spread from one side of the house to the other side, so I was trying to pick up. Morgan was creating at the table and Ava had wandered into their bedroom, which she frequently does. Next thing I know, Ava is screaming uncontrollably and walking to me with a hanger hanging out of her mouth (the metal kind that comes with clothes in the stores). I happened to hear a "crack" as she was running toward me. I stuck my finger in her mouth to see if I could get it out and it was stuck under her tongue. At this point I am freaking out because I couldn't see inside her mouth (with all the screaming) and I didn't want to pull it out and injure her more. First reaction.....call 911. Where is my phone? I can't find my phone - Morgan now hysterical trying to find my phone in my (very large) purse. OK - phone found - Now imagine this conversation - "I need an ambulance (child screaming loudly)". I am trying to hold Ava, the phone and the hanger so it doesn't puncture anything (thinking the worst). As I am on the phone with the 911 operator, blood coming out of her mouth, I was able to get my finger up under the hanger and pull it out - and then blood.......freak out some more.....Ava still screaming. I tell the lady I think we are okay, hanger is out, maybe we can just call our doctor. By that time the ambulance is already on the way. In the meantime, Morgan has taken the hanger while I am finishing up on the phone, and has gotten a wash cloth and cleaned the blood off of it (tampering with evidence?). So then, we sit and wait. Pretty sure it was about 5 minutes, or maybe it felt like with all the screaming. By the time the EMTs got here, the bleeding had stopped, the hanger was out (and cleaned), and Ava was still screaming. The 2 strangers come in our house and try to look in her mouth. Yeah right, like that is going to happen. At this point, we decided that I could just call my doctor and see if he wants her to come in, but that she was probably going to be sore for a day or two and is probably just screaming because she is scared. And since she stuck her thumb in her mouth and began sucking on it, they decided she was probably OK. They were very nice and understood why I called (hanger stuck in mouth) and encouraged me to call them anytime I needed them (humm.....let me think about that). So....once again......Ava is fine.

I have decided it is really hard to child proof a house for a child like Ava. She is so different than Morgan was at that age. She gets into everything. She puts everything in her mouth (obviously) and she has absolutely NO FEAR. She finds crayons and colors on everything (luckily we have spared the walls so far). And she copies everything her sister does. I was on the phone with my dad the other day and I look over to see Morgan had laid pillows on the floor in front on the chair and Ava was standing on the chair ready to jump off into the pillows. She is 17 months old!

So....to finish off my story about yesterday. Of course the rest of the day was horrible. Ava was grouchy, clingy and tired. I tried to call my doctor and left a message for the nurse to call me back. When she called me back, Ava was still screaming. She said she couldn't even understand my voicemail, but could only hear Ava screaming. So on the phone, she instructed me to give her some Tylenol and she would call me back. About 15 minutes later she calls me back and wants to know if Ava had calmed down yet (is is quiet enough that we can actually talk?). So, there of course is nothing the doctor is going to do. She isn't bleeding anymore - probably just sore. Give her Tylenol. So...after Tylenol and a nice bath she was calm and back to her normal self.....and then the gas started. Don't ask me what that was all about - but she must have gotten a tummy ache from something and (while at Vacation Bible School) started screaming. I brought her home, Dana calmed her down with another bath and on and off all night long she went between sobs to screams to burps to (you know whats). This morning she was all better and back to her normal self. Still kind of clingy.

OK......long post, I know - but now to the beads! I am in the process of cleaning the house since nothing got done yesterday. Craft supplies still strung all over the house and dishes piled up in the sink from baking yesterday morning for VBS. Next thing you know I look into the play room and this is what I see......

Notice this last picture says that there are 8500 beads inside the bucket! Yep, we are pretty sure there are thousands of beads. We didn't count them, but believe the manufacturer. So that was the perfect end to the not so perfect week - and today is only Tuesday!!

Challenge

To my family, friends and stalkers.......I have enjoyed creating this blog for all of you to read and become a part of my family. This has been a wonderful way to keep in touch with those that we love and live so far away from. I am always curious who is "lurking" on my blog. I am able to see locations of people, but that is about it. So, my challenge for you this week is to log in and introduce yourself! Tell us who you are and how you came to my blog. Many of you are family and friends. Some of you have maybe visited me from another blog. I am looking forward to "meeting" you all. If you have a blog of your own, feel free to link me. I love visitors, as I frequently visit and enjoy many blogs and learn from other moms (and dads). And if you are a friend or family member - please share my blog with other friends and family that may not know I am here. This has been one of the best ways for me to keep in touch with others, especially those that I don't get to see often. What do you think, can we get at least 50 people to sign in by the end of the week, or is that pushing it??? Have a great week.....I will be posting more pictures soon!!

When Things Go Wrong

I recently read a post on another blog about how many of the blogs we read are about the "warm fuzzies" and how those people appear to be perfect and nothing bad ever happens to them. Either that or they really just don't want people to know about the other stuff. She then went on to tell about how on that day her husband and she had been swimming in their pool with their 2 young children. They looked away for a few seconds and when they looked back their youngest was going out into the pool. Of course she was fine and it was really just a scare - it put things into perspective for this family.

Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to good parents. We make mistakes. We can be careless. We take for granted those things that we have become use to. Today, my girls were outside swimming in Morgan's pool. It is a wading pool about 6'x10' and only 2' deep. Ava wasn't sure about playing in the pool because I had just filled it up with water, so it was pretty cold. But after about a minute she was okay with it and began playing with Morgan. They rolled a ball back and forth in the water and played with the variety of pool toys that Morgan drags in there. I was busy doing stuff, as usual. When the girls are playing outside, I often bring something to read. Today I was doing something for work. That was my first mistake. Pool, Ava, work. Not 3 things that should be put together. I took for granted that my 6 year old swims well. But, she is a 6 year old. I should have never thought that she should be responsible enough to keep her eyes on her 1 year old sister. So, as described above, I found myself in the same situation. I was sitting under my umbrella, watching the girls in the pool, and looked down at my work. I can't be sure how long, but my guess is only seconds. I then looked up and see Ava floating, face down, in the pool. I didn't panic because I saw Morgan standing next to her. I guess at first things didn't register. I thought she had slipped and Morgan was helping her get up. Then it hit me, Morgan was just standing there watching her and doing nothing. Quickly, I ran to the pool, jumped in and pulled her out. Morgan was clueless. She didn't even know what had happened. Ava was fine. I pulled her out and she looked at me then started to cry. So, like I said, seconds.......only seconds......but, what if I had looked at my magazine for a few minutes. Morgan was swimming, clueless to what her sister was doing. They were being quiet. What if?? It only takes seconds for something to go wrong. My decision to work today when I should have been watching my children, could have cost me more than I ever want to imagine. Yes, good parents make mistakes. Bad things happen to good people. I can tell you this is not a mistake I will make again. And 6 year olds should not be expected to keep their eye on their little sister. Not even for seconds. We do know that she must have taken in a little water. Morgan thinks it's kind of funny and Ava laughed about it too, but when we got inside and I was changing her diaper, she let out the loudest burp we had ever heard from her! That's so like us to find humor even in the bad things. And then of course she had pooped in her Little Swimmer - and for those of you that have used them, you know they don't hold anything in!! So a funny, messy end to our scary experience and all is well, however lessons learned.