Blankie Keeper

A friend, fellow Jr. Leaguer and crafty mama colleague Leslie Smith recently gave me 2 blankie keepers for my boys. She is the brain behind the great (read: wish i had thought of it) idea that is a Blankie Keeper -  hiding those nasty blankets inside a cute little cover!

i had the perfect blanket in mind for it too...my sister is going to pee her pants laughing when she sees this blanket too...it goes back some...it started out a comforter - i think double size comforter...i think it was my Uncle Jeff's and then somehow became my brothers and then when my brother got kicked out left the house i inherited it. that is already a nasty start i know...but the thing was perfectly worn in ya know? so i took it with me to college - got teased by everyone about it, but everyone fought over it...it started to rip and tear and the filling would ball up...it got even nastier lets just say...

at that point it had sentimental value and it was still so soft so when i was pregnant with bryson i cut it up and removed the poly-fill and even attached some embroidery yarn little dimples...it didnt help though - still not cute...but now bryson sleeps with it every night and now i can display it without the world knowing how nasty it is...umm...until now i guess...the blankie's sordid history is out!

Thanks Leslie!

i see you....

 

not sure what this all means, but sometimes you have to just go with it...

Flower Girl Dress Notes

my husband attended a very important event last night...and by important i mean poker...so i had the evening to myself...so i went crazy of course and sewed! thats how i roll...if my 14 year old self could see me now she would probably roll her eyes and think how lame i am...oh well - what did i know then? nothing...anyway - back to the point...i had to finish some projects and also some presents and also some orders and found myself making another dress! of course...because i always must sneak a dress in somehow...

my beautiful niece Kassai recently turned 1...the bad news is that she happened to plan her birthday right in the midst of our move and me feeling like poop. the nerve of that girl...so anyway - despite the rudeness i have had the cutest fabric picked out for her dress for a while now and just got to making her birthday dress last night. i made Heather Ross' flower girl dress from her book, Weekend Sewing again - its such a simple wonderful dress and i really like how it comes together....but wanted to give some notes - for both myself in case i make it again (which i most likely will) and also for any of you who may want to give it a go...which you should...its super simple and comes together fairly fast...hopefully these tips will help save you a little time and money...

1. In her layout pattern she shows you how to get the most out of your fabric and how to lay out the pattern, however i found that you will not be able to cut the skirt on the fold as she shows. for the size 2 that i made her pattern shows 25" x 15.5" - my fabric was only 20" wide so i cut it 15.5" x 20" instead - it turned out fine and saved me a lot of fabric. I can now make 2 dresses out of my 2 yards total. the extra 5" would help give the bodice a lot more body, but i couldnt see a marked difference between the 2 that i made (the first being cut to pattern)

2. in her directions Step 3 she tells you to place the bodice back and bodice back facing together and sew, but to leave 1/2" openings for the straps later...which she instructs you to hand sew at the end...

i am not sure her reasoning on this but i just went ahead and sewed them in both times i made the dress (like you do with the bodice front) and it was fine. it saved me time and also i felt as though leaving the holes and finishing them later could compromise the stitch...

3. on the straps...you should finish the ends by folding into each other making an angle BEFORE you topstitch them - which she doesn't instruct you to top stitch either, but i find it helps keep them in place better.

4. her pattern has three sizes: size 2, size 3 and size 4. i made the size 3 for a 3 year old who wears a 2T and the bodice was snug on her, so i would be cautious in the sizes. i made the size 2 for a 1 year old and it may need some additional hemming, but the bodice does look small. 

hope this helps...feel free to comment and add any other tips if you have made this dress!

The Cat Zoodie

i can't leave out the kitty cat zoodie...but it will be left out of the shop until i can get a willing model...ummm...i thought i was going to stop doing this to him?

The Dino Zoodie

introducing the dino-zoodie-saurus...this was my third prototype zoodie...i made it for Bryson a while ago and he loves it! it has evolved since i first made it - i made the plates - i had to wikipedia what the hay they are called that go along the stegosaurus' back - so they are called plates...i made the plates a little smaller since bryson's are too big and go haywire often. i also added the front "scales"

Bryan was helping me place some scales today and i liked some of his ideas...i don't want the zoodies to be "costumey" though...i know they look pretty costumey i guess, but i guess its more that little kids love to dress up and they want to wear their Halloween costumes for like a year and the parents are always, "gross" and "you can't wear that to church" - but these are a good compromise...it lets them have some fun with their clothes and the parents not be so embarrassed...so i guess i am toying with that line...

I have high hopes of putting these up in the shop - not sure if that will happen tonight or soon, but it is a long time coming! the holidays and moving have really thrown off my creativity! so be on the lookout for an actual friendkidly shop update...i know, right?

buh-bye bryan doll...

this little guy has brought endless hours of entertainment for us...he was brutally destroyed by a 40 watt bulb this morning and before tossing him into the garbage i thought we had to do a little photo shoot and a proper farewell.

my dad sent it to us as a joke...before we had kids...since then he has been a toy...a voo-doo doll during tough times...he was a bath toy for a while (i think he originally came with a jet ski) and has since forever lost his clothes and bryson would practice tying knots on him...i think little boys play with Barbies VERY different than little girls...

anwyay - farewell Bryan doll...sorry we have to throw you away...surgery was not an option!

Bodie even tried to do mouth to mouth and it was a failure!

intelligender?

so - i have recently been told about this product - Intelligender - a urine test that is supposed to tell you the gender of the baby you are carrying...in your uterus...not your arms...i just wanted to be clear on that...

anyway - their website says it has an 82% - 90% accuracy rate...but how the hay does it work? anyone know? anyone done this? it looks like it tests a pH balance or something because its based on color (or maybe that is the pool girl in me?)

my midwife's daughter did it...it said boy, and that was confirmed a couple weeks ago when she had her ultrasound...but that is the only person i know that has done it.

i am a little curious to try it, but you know what they say - a little bit of knowledge is dangerous...anyone have any thoughts either way on this?

follow up post...

so i am so sorry...that last post sounded real mean! i think its because i capped the YES and NO...ummm...subtext is everything...i dont mind any of those questions! i ask them myself to every pregnant woman...except for the "can i have your baby" question...although come to think of it i am known to steal every baby around me for as long as the mother appears comfortable. in fact at a recent Jr League meeting someone told me that she thought i had like 6 kids because she sees me holding a different baby every meeting...the post was more a keeping everyone informed since announcing our pregnancy i got a barrage of calls and emails...so i know a lot of family and friends check in here once in a while i thought i would just go ahead and save some people the trouble :)

the questions that bug me are the "when are you getting married, kids, more kids, done?" questions...i try myself not to ask - but i too am guilty...especially of the more kids question...so maybe it was more of a reminder to myself that i should be more creative...

so it was not directed toward anyone or anything...i am sorry if it sounded rude or mean...i need to be careful with the capping!

in case you were wondering...

here are some answers to questions i seem to get immediately after i tell people i am pregnant, so i thought i would save some time...

YES we are planning on a home birth again...with Sue of course...
NO we are not planning on finding out the gender...
NO this pregnancy was not us "trying for our girl"...and
NO i will not be upset if its a boy...i will be over the moon...if its healthy...thats what matters (and yes i have been asked this question...more than once...)
YES i have morning, noon and night sickness...and been feeling overall crappy...but i'm not complaining...no really...i gave up complaining for Lent...just answering a question...truthfully :)
NO this was not "planned" but not shocking either...
NO i dont know if we are "done" yet...although talk to me in a year or so...
YES bryson is excited...if its a boy he wants to name it Bodie or Daddy...
NO Feely McNerbits you may not have our child...although you are welcome of course to photograph the baby like you have with the last two!

by the way...why cant people be more creative with their questions? when you have been dating someone for a long time its "when are you getting married?" and then you get married and its "when are you having a baby?" and then you have a baby and its "when are you having the next one" and then you have the next one and people are like, "you are done right? are you done?" and then you get pregnant with the third and people are like panicky, "you are done right? right? three is it right?" and then you tell them you want a basketball team and they pass out all over you...

introducing...

baby #3!...we will meet him/her late August and are very excited that a)there is just one baby in there and b)everything looks good and healthy!

Babies the Movie

i had seen this trailer before, but it is getting closer and i am just so excited! Babies the Movie - a documentary about 4 different babies in 4 different parts of the world...coming Mother's Day Weekend. I wish my mom lived closer because we would have had a date for sure!

Here is the trailer in case you have no idea what i am talking about...

family resemblance...

its confirmed. he is a Barnes. here is little B.O.B. and big Bob...

no training wheels!

i meant to post a little video from 3 weeks ago of Bryson taking his first training-wheel-less ride, but our silly camera downloading issues are still present. But here is a picture of Bryson from yesterday after a very long bike ride with Meema and Daddy and his cousins around Irvine Park.  

This is all because of the Like-A-Bike ( well Like A Bike Knock Off more like) Bryan got him for Christmas. it only took 1 month of riding it for him to get the balance down. Bryan took off the training wheels and put Bryson on and VOILA! no awkward push down the street or anything...just like he had always been riding like that...pretty amazing! Bryan wanted to get him the like a bike for his 3rd birthday...but i think 3 is too young for no training wheels, don't you? 

PS - that question was not meant for any DADs to answer! 

hey ladies...i just need to put some pants on and then i'll be ready to roll...let me just shoot my boys a text real quick!

a *rare* tender moment...

A Love-Ish Post

bryan and i have been married for 8 1/2 years...we have very dissimilar personalities - which is why it works :) but part of the problem with the personalities and also our genders is that our communication isnt always what/how it should/could be. which is funny since i was a communications major in college...which i always think of my professor Dunn who would remind people that said Comm majors should be the best communicators that the judges who judge the Olympic figure skating can't do what the skaters could do...but they knew the difference between proper and poor technique...this is beside my point...as usual...

so i have been recommended this book by several well respected people. plus a speaker spoke on the principle in this book last year and it intrigued me...The book is Love and Respect by Dr. Eggerichs. You may have heard of it. It is based on Christianity - some verses in the Bible and Christian principles. I think any couple regardless of their religion should read it...its based on the premise that a woman needs love and a man needs respect and there is a certain cycle laid out where a woman who feels loved shows respect and a man who feels respected shows love...there is also the crazy cycle where the opposite happens.

My "aha" moment came this week when i was reading part of the book out loud to Bryan. The author lays out 6 ways in which a man feels respected. One of the ways was shoulder-to-shoulder friendship. it talked about how men like it when their woman just sits there and doesnt talk. i thought it was so funny...but bryan was agreeing! what? you feel this way? the book goes on to cite a study of girls v. guys. the study was several ages of pairs of girls and boys and 2 chairs in a room side by side and the people were asked to sit in the room for 15 minutes. in an alarming percentage the women changed the chairs to face each other and talked where the men sat in the chairs silent, sometimes glancing at the other but that is about it.

i  guess i knew this about male relationships...that makes sense...but with their mate too? it started to make so much sense. bryan always asks me to do the most remedial things with him and him and the boys and sometimes when it doesnt make sense - when i have other things to multi-task - when i am the middle of cleaning the house or answering emails or whatever to stop what i am doing and go with him to the post office or whatever. but now it makes sense. he wants that shoulder to shoulder time. and though it may seem unimportant to me and a "waste" of time...it actually matters a lot....to HIM. and it is a very simple way to show him respect.

again - this is probably totally "duh" to some of you...but i am so happy to have read this chapter because it has really shown me the different ways in which we process and receive love. I love it that i am still learning new things about him after 8 1/2 years of marriage.

its probably not cool to talk about respecting your husband...but if you think it isnt cool, just do a little test tonight and tell your husband 3 or 4 different reasons on why you respect him and see what happens! i was a little amazed in our case...

the squid and the whale

those are my boys...i still need to make Bryson's squid shirt...we got sidetracked by making a robot shirt that i will have to show you later...why? because there are about 12 different substances on it right now - including dirt, syrup, ice cream, snot all sorts of wonderful things!

I didnt use my typical pants pattern and wanted something with a bigger bum for his cloth diapers, so i used Heater Ross' Huck Finn Pants Pattern, also from her book Weekend Sewing. I was attracted to it because there is a hidden button in the waist that you can adjust...but i think it is a tad unnecessary...personally...

also, i had this leftover mattress ticking from an old pirate costume i made for Bryson and it happens to fray nicely, so instead of hemming the bottom i just zig-zagged stitched and cuffed the pant - i think it is also a good idea for getting an extra size out of it! which is nice for my 13 month old who happens to be wearing 2T! geesh!

apologies for the worst pictures ever - Bodie is the worst model right now! he would much rather be in the street...

The Heart Dress

i have not sewn for about 2 months now - when i finished my last christmas project i packed up all my sewing stuff lovingly into boxes...a lot of boxes...and then the move happened. the desire has been building to create and play and sew and i have ignored it because of one excuse and another...good thing there are a lot of babies happening in the next couple of months and good thing my sweet little just-about-3-year-old God-Daughter is having a birthday and good thing its almost Valentines day and we all like to celebrate love here, because otherwise this sewing vacation would have lasted quite a bit longer!

Because Charlotte is born just a couple days after Valentines Day (in fact i remember visiting a very calm Rashelle on V-Day that year and so blown away that someone that pregnant wasn't on a trampoline trying to have a baby or something...but no...she was very peaceful and content and knew it would happen how it should - and she was so right!) anyway...because she is born so close to the love day i like making her a valentines-ish type of dress...but not too heart-ish...not like a costume...not like blatant candy hearts or XOXO all over or anything...like i would probably do to my own daughter...but Rashelle and Charlotte are much more classy :)

So i found this fabric online and it was too perfect to pass up! and i had been wanting to take another stab at Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing since my first attempt at the Kimono Dress was rather disastrous...but that was my fault...poor fabric choice first of all...plus that cut would never work for my figure...anyway...back to the point...where was i anyway? oh yes...the flower girl dress from the book...so cute...it was a little bit difficult for me and my direction challenged brain to comprehend some of the directions...it took about 30 read-throughs on some of the directions, but i am so proud of this dress. it is constructed so solid and so well and her pattern is really brilliant...i wanted to try it because my other smock-type pattern did not seem to be fitting very well and needed to be taken in and messed with.

I first started sewing around the time Charlotte was born...i guess it is my 3 year sew-er-versary! i remember making her a blanket and being so embarrassed about the construction of it, but Rashelle convinced me that Charlotte wouldnt care cause it would be from her fairy Godmother (thats who i tell Charlotte i am) so I gave it to her and i am glad i did. I think all the things i make her will also be a good gauge of how far i have developed as a sewer as well! Sadly i have no picture of Charlotte wearing the dress i made her last year, but i did make my poor son try it on for size and you can see it here (it is the second picture down) the things i have made her will tell a little story...so this is her latest dress...i like how the trees resemble hearts, but not too obvious! it is far from perfect...i had a bit of trouble with the straps - being so thin...they are not quite all the same size even though i made 6 of them...and i had some confusion attaching the bodice to the skirt...but Rashelle is right - Charlotte won't mind and that is what matter!

random-ness

**Warning Random Post**

* now that Bodie is walking...baby-ness is officially over. this has caused much sadness with my mama heart...especially since Bodie is such a "baby" baby...do you know what i mean? bryson has wanted to grow up since he came into this world...even now he asks me how old does he have to be until he can live on his own and drive a car. just that independent spirit - and i get it...i am it too...i love that part of bryson because it is going to serve him so well in his life...so for that reason his growing up has made me proud and now i am having this opposite reaction with Bodie...watching him grow up makes me sad - a little too much i think.

* look at this picture...Bodie likes to get in corners and just cheese it up...he has been doing it all week - what is that about?


* I am loving Ryan's new maternity series - i followed the one he did for his wife because she also had a homebirth and was due just months after i was due with Bodie - and now he is doing this for their friend and i just love it!

* Bryson was gone last week with his grandparents up north - he grew like an inch and came back with all these new phrases like, "that darn cat" and " oh my word...what am i going to do with all these buttons?" and other very grown up - not-4-ish-at-all expressions that are cracking me up.

* the other pic is of Bryan's near nightly wrastling adventures of which Bodie is now trying to participate - he loves it so much its scary...i have boys...did i mention that - BOYS...capitalized...

*LOVE is in the air! we have been keeping busy this week with making some valentines and some candy necklaces and painting hearts...i am needing a celebration of love these days and intend on many a more craft sesh...plus i have like 10 dresses i need to sew...and some time to sew them...i am excited for some new patterns and can't wait to show you all!

geekdom

i dont know why this has been consuming my thoughts lately...maybe its the american idol auditions we have been watching...but we were having a serious discussion..."what if there were a kingdom of geeks...a geekdom...who would be a part of the royal court?" i thought gamers for sure, but Bryan opposed that thought saying they would definitely be the military...which i see his point, but then what about the LARPers (Live Action Role Players)? I think Entomologists have to be up there...Stephen Hawking is quite possibly King...Dont worry - i would definitely be in this kingdom because Star Wars geeks and Trekkies would make up the majority of the royal subjects...as would D&D guys and Ren Fair people...i think the computer programmers would be the "cool guys" like the knights of the round table? or the Dukes and Duchesses or something? anyway - this is obviously puzzling my brain quite a bit...who would be queen? prince and princesses? who would this guy be? please help...

i want to ride...

we spent the weekend in corona this weekend partly to celebrate my ever-growing nephew Jakob "Buddy"'s birthday. it is always sort of heart stopping in a way to see Buddy because i instantly have a flash forward of what Bryson may be doing in 6 years! we spent the weekend doing corona things like fishing, jumping bikes, hanging in the garage...too bad bryson wasnt around with his sweet new haircut (he is visiting his northern grandparents) - he especially would have loved to see this! (PS Uncle Pete put together this vid too! quite the producer!)