i sew!

and i have been sewing more. which means that my living room corner is currently lost to a pile of fabric. i tend to think that if i am going to prep (pick out and cut fabric out) for one project, then why not do 10? this thinking has lead to a huge pile of unfinished (due to lack of interest) projects.

but still, sometimes just playing with fabric is half the fun.

my pictures aren't great, but i really love this bag. i had wanted to make a simple black bag for awhile now (try over 2 years- which was how long i have had this fabric) and i had been planning on following a pattern, but then i thought- well, i think i can come up with something on my own.

and presto- i did.

3 series of pleats here at the bottom of the bag. if you look closer in the top picture you can see that the sides of the bottom of the bag tend to stick or pucker out, i decided to not curve or gusset the purse, and i am very happy with how this turned out.

2 small pockets for organizing.

one little pleat at the top of the bag- and i did pleat the lining as well. the bag needed a little something else, so i just traced some petals on felt and threw together this little prototype flower. once i did one, i figured out how i could better do them (you know simple things like matching your top-stitching thread).

more sewing projects to come! when motivation strikes that is.

oh, and seeing that i did come up with this bag from the juices in my brain, technically this is something i could sell.

technically.

the jacks are gone.

there are some people who really don't watch tv. some aren't interested in it, some don't own a tv, and some just have better things to do with their time (and believe me, i can imagine if i completely cut tv out of my life- or any electronic stimulus for that matter- i would a valley of time open to be filled), sadly i do not fall into that category. i love tv.

not all tv. i don't watch everything on the "tube" but i enjoy to relax at the end of a tired day, and since i have become a parent everyday is a tired day and i have found that sometimes sam and i can muster nothing more but than to enjoy each others company and follow some plot line along.

i grew up in a family that watched tv (and we all still do) and i have unbelievable mad skills in television trivia. seriously. i know more about tv shows that i don't watch than people will have about shows they do watch.

it comes from reading a lot of tv guide as a child, and genetics i know i inherited from my dad. he has the ability to basically place any actor/actress/director in any work that have done. i have taken that skill and added other abilities to it as well.

if they have a tv only jeopardy, well- i'd be rich. which is sad to write that i would only be rich on jeopardy based on tv knowledge, i'm definitely not "dumb" but i am not a genius.

just skilled in retaining really useless knowledge.

why a post about tv?

because something should be said about how in 2 days, 3 legendary (well in my opinion) shows ended their reign. one that was planned years ago to end in 2010, one that decided mid-season to conclude, and one that was utterly given the shaft by the stupid nbc and if i didn't find 30 rock to be so stinkin' funny i'd swear off the network completely.

sorry.

LOST, 24, and law and order, are over. LOST has been said to have changed the way people see television with creative plots, characters, and just utter awesome-ness. 24 was ground-breaking in the idea of doing a show that occurred in real time and staring a chuck norris'esque character that couldn't be stopped: jack bauer. and then there's my favorite: law and order, which aired on network tv for 20 years.

3 shows, 3 main actors that ruled all by the name of jack.

i really love that name.

i have yet to watch the finales of 24 or law and order, but that will happen soon enough. i think its said as an adult to watch things end. bittersweet maybe. it's a reminder about growing up, putting a "remember when" on the beginning of sentences sam and i will start:

remember staying up till 2am watching all of day 1? (24)

remember crashing in hotel rooms on vacation, never leaving the room (not for why you think) but because the hotel had cable and tnt does law and order marathons every other day?

remember constantly battling out our lost theories hours after the show would end?

thank goodness for tv on dvd. i have good memories of these shows simply because of who i watched them with.

its weird to think that this new baby will be born in a "jack-less" world....

just kidding, i am not that weird.

well, i did just blather on an entire post about television.

hmmm.....

forever changing.

remember how happy i was to have a tiny little room for my sewing? that didn't last. the room is still there (currently my fabric habitat) but the practicality i had hoped that room would provide, well... it just didn't. someday a sewing room will be wonderful- when i have the opportunity to truly shut myself off for hours at a time, but honestly, right now i just don't have that. so if i "want" to sew (wanting.... hmmmm.... some days i really just want to lay on the couch, vegging, and dreaming of all the things i could create) i need to be where my children are. it's not a bad thing at all, pretty soon i'll be teaching campbell to use a seam ripper because i believe my sewing will go quicker if i don't have to constantly fix a mess-up.

i am already getting side-tracked with this post.

back to it- the original sewing space i had created has moved. one of my favorite features of our new house is the separate dining space we have created. i will be very sad when this room slowly disappears into the great room remodel we will have- but that is a future project. in this room, we eat, the kids eat (these things do occur separately at times- for sanity sake), i home-school campbell and mason, the kids color, and i craft. this room was technically a bedroom, so it has a wonderful closet that holds all of my crafting supplies and all of my home-schooling books.

at first (sorry, no pictures) our round table was in the center of the room, and we had a hollow box acting as a seat bench (this was full of my crafting supplies). however, this room is small- and having the table center made it incredibly frustrating to navigate around the room.

anyways. when sam was gone earlier this month trying to climb mt. hood (it just didn't work out) i moved my sewing machine in here (and all that goes with it, iron and ironing board) and set it up on the table, and for the second time since we've lived here: i sewed.

and that's when i realized, i have to be near my sewing machine to sew.

um... duh, but i think you get what i mean.

so, sam brought down the sewing table and pushed our round table into the corner. my ironing board is often set up in a separate corner- but when i am really having a sewing lapse (or company over) i can put it in the adjacent closet.

so know, when the kids are taking forever to eat their meal, or working on a project- i can sit close by, prepping a project, running a few stitches, or whatever else my heart desires.

it is already a wonderful fit. and already the table has evolved.

the closet

the sewing table, stage 1

stage 2: adding a little fabric flare

stage 3: getting more of the practicalities there.

my hope is to hang wonderful fabric covered bulliten boards on the wall above my sewing machine, to pin fabric and other wonderful sewing inspiration.

i have been creating, and will share soon.

fabric is a girls best friend

i love getting mail! real mail. where something is waiting for you in your mailbox that isn't asking for money from you. i get a lot of emails. and a lot of facebook messages. but rarely is there something awaiting me in my mail box.

so imagine my utter glee when a small package was sitting in my mailbox last night! we had just gotten home from our 4 hour drive from yosemite (post and pictures to come) and were pretty tired, but i just had to check to see if any important mail had come.

so not only was there a little package addressed to me- but it was full of the most wonderful thing: fabric!

my favorite thing about blogging is that you meet people you might not have met. i think i have said before that it has kind of become the next generation of pen pals. you are able to connect and encourage and develop friendships.

i met christina through her wonderful blog: the sometimes crafter , although that title is very underrated- this gal is always crafting. through her creativity i have found new creative wings myself.

but even more than that- i found a great friend! i love that comments on blogs turn into emails, that turn into friends giving advice, sharing stories and laughter, and encouragement.

if you haven't seen her blog, you really should- it's awesome.

oh, that's right- why am i gushing on about christina? because she was the sender of this wonderful little fabric bouquet. just because. i am super excited, so touched, and now trying to search my mind for a project that will adequately use these beautiful fabrics (i mean other than placing them all in a vase and just staring at them on my sewing table- which i will do until i use them!)

thank you, thank you so much for such a wonderful gift to me, it made my day (well it will probably make my week!).

i am so excited that in just a few short weeks we will actually get to meet in person!

it's coming.

well maybe not today, but if i have baby #4 a week early (which is the plan) then really, its less than 15 weeks till we abandon the crazy of 3 and enter the mad world of 4 kids ages 4 and under. yikes. i am not sure which is more "yikes" worthy- the 15 weeks to go, or the 4 kids. although, newborns (my newborns) just sleep and sleep and sleep. and nurse. so really, its just working around that. i am not nearly as terrified with this baby coming as i was with switching from 2-3, i am really excited to meet this mystery baby. i am 99% sure most days what the baby is, then i start to doubt myself. i am planning on one specific sex, but will be absolutely shocked (like, are you sure that's my baby? shocked) if it comes out differently. i am pretty stinking excited about the nice 6 week break sam will take when our new baby comes. we've been saving up our starbucks stock, plus the money he'll get from the state, and it will make for a wonderful 2 months of baby-hood. we are planning on taking the family to zion national park sometime in the beginning of october (when it is apparently the best time to go). i've already told sam that we are driving super slow to get there- it will not be a drive there in one day kind of stint. we will probably stop through las vegas (where i have technically never really been) and find one of those fantastically cheap hotels (because they really want you to gamble, and let me tell you something- while in new orleans we went into a casino and i absolutely hated it, money tends to stress me out- when i am not trusting- and i just can't seem the appeal in playing a game where they take your money) and maybe do something fun with the kids.

15 weeks to go.

when i was new to blogging and pregnant with little henry i did a big weekly countdown with goals and such for each week, and quite honestly, i think it must have been very snooze worthy for the few readers i had (so snooze worthy it isn't worth posting a link to those old posts- i just put worthy/worth and posting/post in the same sentence, hmmmm) but i like having a countdown of sorts.

so instead of having many separate goals per week, i will probably just have a goal a week. or maybe just 14-15 goals- well, lets say 15 goals- here's #1: pick goals.

phew. better get started on that one. they probably won't be weekly, simply because i have the crazy notion that one will be something radical like: sew all Christmas gifts in July.

i'm not crazy. sewing all gifts in july might be crazy, but in all reality, with the amount of gifts i make- christmas is just knocking at the door.

so, that's about it- 14 "things" to accomplish, to represent what little time i have left before the baby comes. it will be really hard to just stick to 14, because already i am thinking, well how about 14 things to sew, 14 things in the house, 14 things to cook....

stop mary, stop.

and i will. because henry is crying in his bed, and mason is crying outside.

wish me luck sticking to 14 things, because seriously, the head is swimming!