Quilt Show

i’ve had a few ‘firsts’ this weekend.

one was attending my first-ever quilt show! it was supposed to be just me going, but then our almost-2-year-old daughter wouldn’t let me get dropped off alone so it was a family outing. we saw some fabulous quilts (if i can manage to get the pics off my phone, i’ll post them on here) and bought a little kit to make a toy from foam blocks. not sure yet if that’ll be a toy for our own Little One or if it’ll be gifted, so details to come.

the other ‘first’ was first time in a long time that i’ve gotten a quilt to progress as quickly as i did this weekend. i’m working on a quilt for a dear friend who’s expecting her first child, a girl. it’s not a big quilt, which helped it come together fast, but it’s also a great one (if i do say so myself). can’t wait to finish it off and then send it away so i can share the goods with you (the few of you who actually read this anymore).

so, plus side: yay quilt show and quilt progress! down side: nothing to share with you fine people… yet.

what teaser posts have you been drafting lately?

WIP Linkup

linking up my quilt top finish to Lee’s WIP Wednesday today. first time in a while i’ve actually had a post i could link it to! i’m excited! are you?

what are your WIPs this Wed?

Big Girl Quilt Top: Done!

i’ve mentioned before, numerous times, the comforter quilt i’m working on for my daughter. it’s going to be comforter sized with some decent draping for a twin mattress (which seems HUGE to me as i’m putting it together). but it’s looking good so far!

lucky me: i got some sewing in over the past few weekends and finally got the top all put together!

BEHOLD:

i’m super excited, though you wouldn’t really know it since i haven’t done ANYTHING since finishing the top. oh well. my daughter’s not even 2 years old yet, and nowhere near ready for a big girl bed… i’ve got time.

what big milestone have you reached recently?

update: linking up to Lee’s WIP Wednesday! go check out what others have done and leave some love for them! and/or join us and be a link-er-upper too!

What a Difference a Day Makes

today’s my birthday. i convinced my hubby that all i wanted was a day off work to do whatever i wanted. we thought about making a lunch date, just the two of us, but there’s no movies out right now i want to see badly enough to spend $20 a person to see.

instead, i’m enjoying myself while

• taking a luxurious shower
• tidying the house
• doing laundry (yes, cleaning is a perk for me since we’re too busy to do it otherwise!)
• sewing
  • the Little One’s quilt top is approaching completion! pictures soon!
• watching movies
  • watching Star Trek for the thousandth time and loving it
• going thrift shopping
  • hoping to score a decent but inexpensive toddler table and chairs set
• and trolling facebook

if i allow myself, i might spend some time playing WoW, but it’s such a time-hog that i want to make sure i get the most out of my day instead of being stuck to the computer screen the entire time.

i’m also hoping to do some introspection. my current job technically ends at the end of February and i don’t currently have anything lined up. there may be an opportunity to continue working for my current company, or maybe hiring on with a new company coming into the area, but i also want to make sure whatever happens will be good for our family (financially) and me (sanity-wise).

it’ll be a busy, awesome day. i’m gonna get back to it! hope your day is great too, whether or not it’s your birthday!

what do you do for your birthday?

Even though it’s not Wednesday:

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: i’m alive, i swear!

schedule? what schedule? HA! i’m lucky if i manage to get enough breakfast in the morning, let alone actually have time to properly brush my hair. how do i use this stuff called “make-up” again? i’ve forgotten.

here’s what’s been happening:

• finished reflooring the master bedroom – put down some inexpensive wood laminate; maple, it looks nice (you’ll just have to take my word on that for now)
• lots of visits to and from family — including Oma, Opa, a few relatives from across the pond (Germany) and my sister down from the great white north!
• finished transforming one of the cabinets in the guest bath into a sneaky cat-box spot
• recieved, put together, and put in place our new bedroom set
• AND (sewing related, GASP!) i’ve started sewing all the blocks of the Comforter Quilt into rows! i’m about 35-40% done with the quilt top!

here’s what we’re hoping to do in the coming weeks (or however long it takes!):

• do some updating in the guest bathroom — similar to how the master bathroom was first updated
• get a new front door
• finish the BSU Quilt for Hubs — only have to piece the end-zones and then i’ll be ready to sandwich!
• have at least a portion of everyone’s Christmas gift be hand-made this year

believe me, the list goes on. and on. and on!

but now i’ve got to get ready for the upcoming food-coma-fest (AKA Thanksgiving) so ttyl!

MIA

i’m alive, i swear!

working full time, raising an 18-month-old, and trying to keep my sanity as the holiday season approaches are taking their toll on my schedule.

here’s what’s been happening:

• finished the master bathroom reno – yes i know i owe you pictures
• tore out all the remaining carpet in the master — still having urination issues with one of our cats, but slowly getting better
• visited the LO’s Oma and Opa — that’s grandma and grandpa to you non-Germans
• (almost) completely emptied the closet in the guest room — it still retains outgrown baby-gear, but it’ll eventually be a kid’s room, so that’s okay

here’s what we’re hoping to do in the coming weeks (or however long it takes!):

• pick out and put down new master bedroom flooring this week — that’s right, we want to put it in this weekend but we haven’t even finished shopping yet!
• move the litter boxes into a more discreet location — more on this in a later post
• replace our peed-on MALM dresser with something that doesn’t smell, then move it into our closet — suggestions welcome! i dont’ really want another MALM, but Hubs wants to keep it cheap
• down-size the sewing table so it can be moved out of the guest room — sad, i know, but there just isn’t enough time in the day to sew that much anymore!
• do some updating in the guest bathroom — similar to how the master bathroom was first updated
• get a new front door
• replace the sliding door that goes from the master bedroom to the patio with a pair of french-style doors
• get running on a regular schedule again
• continue taking advantage of free things available through work — gym access, yoga classes, etc
• have at least a portion of everyone’s Christmas gift be hand-made this year

believe me, the list goes on. and on. and on!

but now i’ve got to get back to work. so ttyl!

Left Foot, Right Foot

our daughter is a little over 16 months and enjoying learning the names of her body parts.  we’ve got a few mini-Dr Suess books (the Foot Book, the Nose Book, etc) that she really likes.  (though we do read 8-14 books each night before bed…)

when we read The Nose Book, she points to her nose, my nose, my husband’s nose. when we read the Foot Book, she grabs her foot and i grab it and move it around for the pages that read “high foot    low foot”.

she’s also really enjoying walks. every night this week, we’ve gone for a walk. for 3 of the 5 nights, she’s walked on her own! though we kept the walk short on those nights and probably didn’t get our own hearts pumping anywhere near what we’d need to do any sort of calorie/fat burning. the other 2 nights she rode in her stroller. (and actually fell asleep while we walked/jogged!!)

inspired by John at Young House Love and his recent divulgence of his relationship with running, i’d like to tell you a bit about my own relationship with that ancient past-time.