Last minute stockings

I realized this year that we only have 3 stockings, and there are 4 of us. Considering that our stockings were old, came from Dollar General, and falling apart, I knew there was no way to find another one that matched the ones we had. Which left me with two options: a) make some out of cute Christmas fabric, or b) buy some of those ugly fuzzy ones from Walmart. I think you can guess which option I chose. 😉

I used the pattern from FabricWorm, and the assembly tutorial from Megan Neilsen’s blog. Well, kinda. I used some fleece from my stash to line only one side of my stocking (two layers seemed too bulky), and used the same fleece (it’s white) to make the cuff. I had some off white satin ribbon from who-knows-what laying on the floor of my sewing room, so I sewed it in half and used it for the hanging loop.

I think they turned out pretty stinkin’ cute. 😉

For Irish

Mine

Hubby’s

For Scotch

All together now!

Settling in

So I thought I would post a quick update on the progress. Yes, we’re moved in to the new house…mostly. We still haven’t emptied the garden shed at the old house, and there’s still some boxes laying around with odds and ends in them, but we’ve got the essentials (except the sewing room and toy room *sob*) unpacked. It’s starting to look like we live here, so that’s a good start, right?

I did take the scribe and mark what I need to trim off of the fabric shelf so that it fits against the floor moulding and can be screwed to the wall, I just haven’t trimmed it yet. Partly because I need some help getting it to the garage, and partly because I’ve been busy working. Yep, you heard me. I apparently have a part-time job. It’s of the work at home variety, so I’m still taking care of the kiddos and such, but now I also get to key in information for my hubby. One of the big deadlines was Friday, so we were pushing to get done by then, and there’s another one looming for Wednesday that I need to be prepared for–especially since the website for this particular company is seriously shit-tastic and prone to going down. For such a major corporation, you’d think they’d have it together, but no.

So yeah, a lot of changes all at once. It makes it kind of hard to settle into a routine, but hopefully, we’ll get there soon. And can I ask where summer went?! It seemed like a strange combination of flying by and dragging on forever–often at the same time. Know what I mean? Irish goes back to school next week, and he’s nervous about it…hell, I’m nervous about it. He’ll be fine though, kids are resilient, and Irish is one of those people that has no trouble making new friends. 🙂

I hope to have my sewing room up and running this week, but in the meantime I’m living vicariously through you all, so stitch up something cute for me! 😉

Stressed!

So we’re moving. It’s hard to believe after 5 and a half years of living in this house that we’re just going to leave it. I’ve/we’ve put so much blood, sweat, and tears into this thing that to leave it is pretty hard. I know that some of you can relate because you have trouble parting with your handmade clothes. This is similar, except 5x harder because we have so many memories here and it’s the first home we’d ever bought. It’s the only home my eldest can remember, and believe me, Irish isn’t excited about our new home. I’m not usually one to get so attached to a material thing, but this process of trying to sell it and buy a replacement has been hard on me…on all of us, but I can really only speak for myself. The thought of new neighbors, new schools, everything just has me overwhelmed right now.

We close next week on the new house, even though this one hasn’t sold yet. It will be nice for being able to move slowly and determine whether or not we need everything we had here and what can be loaded up for donation, but sometimes a clean break is easier too. And I can’t say enough how grateful I am to family for making it possible to go ahead on buying the new house while this one sells, because without them it wouldn’t be possible. I have a hard time letting others help, so it was an internal battle, but ultimately I know that it’s the right thing to do, even though my stubborn pride fought against it.

I will be so glad to close this chapter of our lives, mostly because the stress has had us all sniping at each other. I’m tired of being a “commuter widow”. I’m tired of worrying about the amount of money going out vs coming in. I’m tired of not seeing my husband nearly as often as I used to, and hate that it’s too far for me to drop in and see him or catch lunch with him. I’m tired of fighting with Irish, when he’s not the problem (or at least not all of it). I’m tired of constantly worrying that someone will want to see the house and having to rush to get it presentable. I’m tired of telling Irish that he has to keep all of his toys put away, even though he worked very hard on setting up his farm/legos/etc. and seeing how that upsets him.

I will be sad to see this house go, but at the same time, thankful. It’ll mean getting our lives back. And while it’s going to be bittersweet, I’m ready.

Impatience: It really *is* a family trait

So if you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably already heard the news that the new baby is here. And he is! He’s about 20 days early, but all the critical systems that they worry about in “preemies” are go with our little guy. We have to make sure to wash our hands often, just in case, but lungs/heart/etc. are all in fine working order. (Especially the lungs–he can really scream when he’s upset!) 😉 Our only issue is jaundice, but yesterday we went from the 95th percentile to the 75th percentile in about 6 hours, so they deemed us ready to head home. And he’s eating good, so hopefully, he’ll be over it soon.

Since it’s kind of a thing, 😉 here’s the stats:

• ~5:30 AM
• 6 lbs 11 oz
• 19 inches
• Boy (you probably got that by now, LOL!)

It’s rather interesting how it came about, since I was on bedrest from a trip to L&D a day or two before. I had a doctor’s appt. in the morning, came home and spent all day in bed (and on Twitter) alternating between sleeping and goofing on the computer. By dinnertime my back, hips, and butt were so sore and achy from sitting/laying in bed for two days that I decided to grab a bite and take a shower. I thought maybe a shower would make my muscles relax a bit and I’d go back to the bed. But apparently my body had other ideas. Immediately after my shower, I got out and my water broke–which is a very interesting sensation, and one that I missed the first time around–so we hurried and got loaded up and headed in. Everything went pretty well–no horror stories here, but I’ll spare you the recount just the same–aside from being sore and tired, I’m doing pretty good.

So anyway, I’m ready get back to staring at my newest creation…babies are just pretty darn amazing. And so, so hungry….all the time… 🙂

Things that tick me off Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

To my fellow US sewists, I want to wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving. May you have many blessings to be thankful for. 🙂

So my (well, actually my hubby gave me the idea) peeve today is the Thanksgiving day parade. It would really be nice if we could actually see more of the parade and less of the yahoos behind the table. So CBS, if you are listening, cut down on the camera time for the goofballs and give us more of the actual parade. Does this annoy anyone else?

Anyway, keeping it short and sweet today so that I don’t miss out on getting stuff in the oven on time! Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, start of Hanukkah, or just a fantastic Thursday!! 😉

Big News!

So, it’s been a bit crazy around here the past 2 or 3 months. For example, you know how I said that I wasn’t feeling very well a while back? Well, there’s a really good reason for that. It’s because I’m 17 weeks pregnant with son #2.

Crazy right? I mean, I’ve got a 7 year old, so obviously I’m not a complete stranger to being a mom, but I’ve got a 7 year old. That’s a pretty big gap. I’m not even sure I remember how to hold a baby, fold a swaddling blanket, or change a diaper. I’ve forgotten how much diapers and formula cost (unless the milkers decide to do their freakin’ job this time) and the thought of budgeting for a new baby is terrifying.

We’ve had a bit of a bumpy ride this time between the chromosomal abnormality scare (you can read this wiki on nuchal translucency if you’re curious)** and the fact that I failed my 1-hour glucose test this time around. I’m hopeful that I can pass the three hour test and then the 1 hour test when I have to take it again at 26 weeks.

**I know that sounds flippant, but honestly, ever since we’ve gotten the test results back with everything being fine, it almost feels more like a bad dream than a former reality. Now it’s almost hard to believe that even last week we weren’t sure if our baby was going to be stillborn or have Down Syndrome. The DS wasn’t too scary–it was the other possibilities that had me stressed beyond belief.

Anyway, so with all that stress, plus the typical pregnancy symptoms, you’ll surely understand why I haven’t been terribly productive in the sewing room. For quite a while I couldn’t do much more than sit down there and stare at my fabric wall or cry. But I’m feeling more motivated and productive now, so after I spruce up the basement bathroom (nesting?), I forsee having new sewing projects to show here on the ‘ol blog, though I’ll confess that some of it may not be terribly exciting because I’m not sure how much sewing I’ll be doing for myself. But don’t worry! This won’t be a space where all I showcase is baby clothes, because honestly, I have little or no need to sew up clothes for the baby. Between hand-me-downs from my oldest (it feels weird saying that!) and whatever his grandmas/aunts find for him, I’m sure he’ll be well-dressed until he’s at least 2! 😉 Besides, they grow so fast it’s hardly worth sewing for them when they’re real little.

My husband however, is desperately in need of some business casual shirts/slacks, he’s worn the ones I’ve made him to death!! And my oldest (yep, still weird!) needs pants that fit his skinny butt, so I’ll probably have some of that to show as well.

So now you know (or have verification of) what’s going on in my world. How are things where you are?

Weekend Camping

My son turned 7 the other day–it’s still a bit surreal that he’s not a chubby cheeked toddler anymore–so for his birthday in lieu of a party we took him on a camping trip. A good time was had by all, but I think the kiddo had a better time than the rest of us. 🙂 He took to hiking like a duck to water, and seemed to be nearly tireless–which when it’s hot outside is quite a feat!

Anyway, in honor of my post last week about stereotypes, I thought I’d help dispel another one. You know how there’s the saying about Kansas being flat as a pancake? It’s not really true. See?

Image from Kanopolis Lake State Park website. Click the picture to for more information.

Yes, we visited Kanopolis Lake last weekend. The hiking was beautiful, and there’s also horse trails and mountain biking trails (I’d never be able to bike in the sandy paths, but it would definitely be a fun and beautiful challenge for someone tougher than me). The tent campsite we stayed at was maybe a bit primitive for my taste, but then, I was only a girl scout for a couple of years, so I’m maybe a bit of a whiner on that sort of thing. 😉

Anyway, here’s a couple of pictures that I actually took of the landscape, I thought it looked rather awesome considering this is the first year they’ve had much for rain in several years (portions of the plains have been in a severe drought for around 4 years I think). It feels like an eternity, so it’s easy to lose track of the time.

The hills, they be sneaky…

They hide this…

So well that people think the whole state is flat farmland or prairie grass. Guess the secret is out now, huh? 😉

Sunday recipes

Like pretty much the entire world population, we are trying to eat better this year, and in order to succeed, we all need some cheerleaders in the background keeping us going and not succumbing to junk “food”. In honor of that, I thought I might post a couple of (healthy!) recipes we’ve recently tried and enjoyed.

Friday night we had something called Cuban Picadillo. It has a rather interesting set of ingredients (raisins and capers–together?!), but trust me, this was just the perfect mix of sweet and salty to really satisfy your taste buds. I’m really looking forward to the leftovers of this stuff, and I’m one of those anti-leftover people (unless it’s pizza, obv.) Her recipe doesn’t actually have the raisins in it, but I tossed in a handful after reading the comments, and next time I’d probably add another handful. This stuff is pretty awesome, and only uses 6 WW points (I’m not on that program, but lots of people are, maybe even you!) Give it a try, you might be surprised! 🙂

On Saturday, we had our first ever spaghetti squash spaghetti. (NOTE: we didn’t use her sauce, we had our own.) I’m not certain that mine was cooked all the way through (a bit crunchy?), but as far as taste and appearance go, I think you’d have a hard time proving it wasn’t really spaghetti noodles. Double check the doneness after the cook time, but definitely give this veggie a try! We’re going to do it again for sure. 🙂 If you’re not a squash eater (we definitely aren’t!), it can be a bit tough to make yourself try it, but once you do, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 🙂 So just go buy one, it doesn’t cost any more than a package of decent spaghetti noodles!

EDIT: OK, according to the Dashing Dish website, if you don’t want a crunchy texture on your squash, you should saute it a bit, I’ll keep that in mind for us in the future too!

Pause, breathe in, relax

Whew! This last week or so has been busy! There was our ultra-mini vacation (we drove several hours, visited a museum and a zoo, stayed one night, drove home) which was really nice, but almost too fast-paced. We did get to see a shark above our heads though, and some crabs that were literally as big as my 6 year old son! (And my son is nearly as leggy as those crabs too!) The only thing I didn’t care for was how crowded it was, but being a holiday weekend, I should have expected it (though I was hoping since everyone else had started school it wouldn’t be, because I’m a selfish bitch like that).

So that this isn’t a pictureless post, here’s some pics from our (or at least my) favorite part of the zoo. 🙂 Or not, since WordPress just ate them. 😡 Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the way WordPress handles pictures? Especially those that are already uploaded to my photohosting account? Well, that’s a rant for a different day I suppose.

In sewing news, I’ve been working on a pair of slacks for my husband. They’re going to fit great, but I screwed up the welt pocket (put it in backwards), and now I’m trying to figure out what to do about it. I’ve tried fixing it every which way except the way that required me to take it completely apart and fix it, because I’d already trimmed the seam allowances and everything. It looks like that’s ultimately what I’m going to have to do though, unless someone has some brilliant idea they’d be willing to share with me. Everything I’ve tried so far just ends up looking like a rectangular opening with some fabric behind it. 😡 If only I had enough fabric to cut another piece, I’d consider just leaving the pocket off altogether and only have one pocket. Or do they not do that for men’s slacks? Hubby says he doesn’t use the back ones anyway…..

Too many apples!

Welcome to my pity party.

It’s been a while, so I thought I’d give a quick update with a better (and more interesting post) to follow in a couple of days. There has been some sewing around here, I’ve finished up another 4 pairs of underwear, and I’ve been working on a polka-dot blouse for the last couple of months that just doesn’t seem to aspire to anything more than trash. I’m nearly tired of fighting it, though I think it’ll be a great blouse once I finally finish it.

Mostly though, it feels like we’ve been putting up apples. My hubby has been industriously gathering them from the yard every evening, and they just keep coming. 3 weekends in a row now we’ve spent at least one day cutting/peeling/coring/cooking/canning apples for applesauce or pie filling. I don’t particularly care for apples to start with, but I’m really sick of them now. Hopefully, other people from around the neighborhood or hubby’s work will start to come over and pick some. Please God! We’ve still got at least half the tree full of apples yet!

Anyway, stay tuned for the Burda blouse from Hell and the fun new underwear (think camo!). 😉

Have a great weekend (for whatever’s left of it)!