Baby Land

We are half way there and all is well in baby land!! These first 20 weeks have gone fast, for which i am glad....but then i realized that probably meant the next 20 were going to go just as fast. Yikes!!!! Slowly the baby gear is trickling into the house. We had this ultrasound on Monday and were very happy to hear that the baby looks great and everything is good in there. And i was so glad that this time it really looked like a baby. Chris was betting that i would not be able to NOT find out what the gender of the baby was, but i did!!! I made sure the tech knew i did not want to know so this one will be a surprise. At birth it is!!! i have this picture hanging on my fridge and i often go into the kitchen and then catch myself just staring at it...it is a real baby. We are excited to meet you baby!

Fun Just Because

Supplies

Plus one interested and motivated Daddy

Equals days of fun for everyone.

I found the idea for this zip line at a cool dads blog here. Mitch especially has enjoyed it for the last few days. Watch out playmobil man...you are in for quite a ride!!!

Vintage Bee Blocks

I made up a couple more blocks for the Vintage sheet bee i am in today. Deb sent a lovely package full of sheet goodness. I sat right down to make some of them to help me keep myself awake...pregnant makes me tired!

this one is for Anissa. I love the yellows and pinks.

And this one is for Marissa. i hope that i am getting that right. I mailed them already and can't check. Sorry ladies i hope i have this right. i don't want to mislead anyone. The similarity of names is not helping me figure it out either.

Some Things I've Been Working on

This week i have been trying really hard to get some of my WIP's as well as some blocks done for other people.

Success!!

This first block is for a vintage quilting bee that i am in with a few other ladies. I am in awe of the beautiful things they are churning out and hope that Brenda loves this one....!!!

This wonky star is for Tara...she just became a US citizen and wanted some help celebrating her special occasion. She wanted to some red white and blue stars to make into something wonderful for herself. this is my favorite start block. The tutorial is here at Silly Boo Dilly blog. It is fast and easy, you should check it out! I hope you like it Tara...it is on the way to you.

And this, this is my table of "to Do"...the things i am trying to get to this week...so far i can check off two of the five. Maybe more? We'll see!

** i went into this week hoping for a few finishes, even if they were small. And thank goodness i did it. I am linking up over at Amylouwho's to share what i did do this week. Go over and see what the other ladies have made. You will not be disappointed, there is some amazing stuff. I also finished a few more bee blocks here you can check out **

Finally Proof

When i got home from my sisters this week i was feeling especially motivated to get some sewing done. Perhaps the old adage, "absence makes the heart grow fonder", applies to my sewing machine too! I went right to work finishing this baby blanket i had started with a honey bun of Hello Betty fabric.

i considered all sorts of ideas for how i would quilt it but in the end i just went with my old standby... straight line quilting. It is fast and rather uncomplicated. Every row of stitching is about 2 inches apart. I got the binding on and sewn last night and this morning, my favorite part. It is a baby gift for a neighbor, so i hope she will like it.

I did not want to buy more fabric to back it and bind it so i went to the trusty stash closet to see what i could find, and that closet sure did not let me down. I, at some point or another, had bought a baby curtain on clearance in the hope that someday i would be able to use it for backing since it was so big. And that is precisely what i did. These elephants were just too cute to resist and i love them with the fabric of the quilt.

Now this last shot is just to show that i am already working on other things...trying to be real with myself about the projects i have started and seeing if i can just go ahead and finish them from where they are. Sometimes i think i am too ambitious with what i want to do....so i start a lot of things but don't really get many them finished. Craft ADD anyone?

**It is time for me to get back on the sew and tell wagon. So i am going to go ahead and link this up to amylouwho's to share with the ladies there. take a minute and go check out what everyone else has made this week. I don't know about anyone else but i feel productive, finally.**

Big Saturday Reveal

**i am linking this up to amylouwho's sew and tell this week. Check out what everyone else has made and let them know how much you love what they made.**

The other day i gave you a sneak peek of a little project i was working on for my sweet husband. Here it is in all it's glory. I finished it in time for his imminent arrival tonight.

Here is a close up of the words, in case it was hard to see as a whole. It feels so nice to get a project done from start to finish. I hope that he will want to hang this in his office, maybe.

The project was inspired by a short PSA that Chris saw one night while we were watching TV after the kids went to bed. He thought it was great since he is a geek himself so i offhandedly joked with him about cross stitching it on a pillow for him. We laughed it off but then this idea took shape in my head and i went with it.

Giddyup!!

Both of my niece's ride horses...it is also a dream of both Avery and Mitchell's. Avery enjoys the horses and Mitchell would like to be a cowboy! These past couple weeks during cousin camp life had to go on so the girls continued to have lessons. We of course went along and enjoyed something new. Along with horses there were frogs and tractors(Mitch rode on) and beetles and butterflies and best of all a dog. He would just sit with her in the dirt, hug her once in awhile and talk to her like she totally understood him. So sweet.



After this weeks lesson the instructor said it was fine for the kids to get on one of the ponies and give it a try, likely due to Mitchell's charm and persuasiveness when he asked...despite that i told him it was not polite to ask, he should wait until it is offered. Oh well, someday that lesson will soak in.

Love that dimple!!! He looked a little unsure, but this was just after he looked at me and said that he felt like a real cowboy. This was his first time on a horse and there was not a minute of hesitation.

And Avery...this girl has been wanting to be on a horse since the last time she was on one about 4 years ago. She is so strangely calm around a huge horse when sometimes a small dog unnerves her. How does that work? While she was there i know that she was watching closely to everything her cousin did to get the horse all ready to ride, soaking it all in, in her glory. I loved this shot of her!

Vision of our Days

We have been enjoying cousin camp!!! There has been tie dye, which makes the prettiest laundry you have ever seen. There was night swimming on the 4th of July. Ice popes that were very festive. The kids did a fashion show...very silly. And we had a game night. Didn't Avery looks thrilled with bingo?! If you want to see some fun pictures of our 4th go check them out at my sister's blog, here. There are also a few more cousin camp pictures here.

Sweet Cravings

I happen to have the best, teenage niece. For lots of reasons, really, but tonight it was because she made chocolate chip cookies. I have been craving these. I don't often crave these kinds of things when i am pregnant...usually it is lemonade or ice pops but these last few days it was these. I have enjoyed them immensely... I think i just might go have another right now. All things in moderation right?

Sneak Peek

Here is a little peek at what i am working on right now....lest you really do believe i have sworn off crafting forever.

Land of the Lost

hey!!! Bet you think i am never going to sew something or make something with the kids or ever blog again for that matter....

well, this time my excuse is that we are on vacation. Enjoying time with family while the husband is off on business. I am going to try to blog a little something while i am here, but you know how vacation goes. I might have great intentions but that does not necessarily mean it is going to happen.

Miss you all...i have to go and try to catch up on what is going on with all of you.

We've Been to the Beach

***Brace yourselves, this one is picture heavy....***

We went to the beach this week. Not just any old trip to the beach, we went camping at the beach.

We did not have to go far, obviously since we were camping there, to enjoy the sun and sand and wind and cool weather. The kids and Chris got to do what they love to do at the beach...flying kites!

Mitchell, showing off a little when i wanted to take a picture. He saw the camera in my hand and then started getting goofy. And, yes, that is a mohawk you see. We are trying out yet another new summer hairdo.

The sky and clouds were so amazing to watch while the fog was blown out to sea. I love the dark colors. The ocean kept changing from a dark gray to beautiful greens and blues. it was so pretty.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Avery...we have one that is very similar to this from when she was about 3 or 4 flying a kite on a beach in Washington state. My how she has grown.

This time Mitchell could get in on it, he has always been too small, not strong enough, to manage a kite in the wind. So, these are pictures of his first time ever flying a kite.

And a great shot of the boys flying the big kite together. Chris has many large kites and trick kites that he likes to bring along...and nice daddy that he is he lets the kids have a go when he takes it out.

Oh, and building the obligatory sand castle...look what a great job he is doing!! Careful, careful...

then, oh no...i think you can guess what is about to happen!!!

as for the camping part...because i am sure that any of you that know me in person are wondering(especially after reading about our first trip in the woods)...it was good!! Beach camping is way better than woods. The weather this time of year is better too. And we slept great every night, Chris made all the food and did all the work. The kids and i just played at the beach!!! How hard could it have been?