my finished projects from week 5

above is the little drawstring bag that i will be putting henry's clothes in for the hospital.  after his arrival, it will be used in my diaper bag to put an extra set of clothes for him.  it isn't straight at all, and i am really just learning to embroider, but i love it.

this is a little bib from Amy Butler's Little Stitches book, it is part of Meaghen's baby gift.

and this is the little kimono that i made for Mason.  this project was wonderful- it was so great and simple to make, and i am so thrilled that it was a tutorial i found here.

4 weeks! 4 weeks!

yeeks! we are getting down to the wire.  a friend at my shower today said she thinks it will be 5 weeks... of course, i would love it to be 2.  however 5 seems like a more reasonable estimation.  and it is probably for the best- i am NOT making the progress on my sewing projects that i wish i were.

however, a few things here have changed.  my brother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer in august.  we were all told it was something called germ-cell cancer.  he did several rounds of chemo, and then just had major surgery.  today we were told that the cancer wasn't germ-cell cancer, but another type of cancer.  with a very discouraging prognosis.  before we were told the surgery was going to be truly effective at removing all of his tumors, and then maybe a little more chemo, and then cancer free.

now we find out that this new cancer has a 20% success rate.

where am i going with all of this?

stem cells.

stem cell research is huge and making wide strides in helping to treat and cure certain types of cancer.  

we have the option of banking the blood in henry's cord, and the stem cells in that could potentially help in the treatment of my bro in law's cancer.  

after doing some research we found that his type of cancer was on the list of treated by stem cells.

its crazy.

9 months ago i was utterly shocked to find myself pregnant again.  unplanned. so soon after mason.

and then a few weeks later we found out that levi (my brother in law) had cancer.

and now to find out just weeks before henry's arrival, that we may need his cord.

i am just amazed at the Lord's plan.  i mean, i don't know if henry's cord will save levi's life.

but it could.

and the unplanned, surprise of a baby, may have been made with a very specific purpose in mind.

Our Lord is amazing.

so what does this have to do with 4 weeks?

well, i really do want to get my list done.  and i know that the baby will come when he is ready.

however- our doctor on call has never been really ready.

i have been very resistant on induction for this pregnancy.  i was induced with campbell and mason, and i really wanted to go into labor on my own this time.

but with how fast my deliveries have gone, i wonder if that's the smartest thing.  with the possibility of there being a need for the cord blood, i don't know if i can risk whether or not the doctor will show up to bank it.

but i don't know.  i have a few questions for my team of ladies where i get my maternity care.

so 4 weeks to go.  and lots still to do.

recap from last week:

week 5

write my Grandma's ** Done and mailed! Whoo hoo!

finish Kris's birthday gift- this is halfway done.  the main part of the gift is completed, however i have a small little item to make to go along with it, and that fabric is cute and ready to start the sewing process.

make Meaghen's baby gift- well i kinda have a ton of things that i am making for her.  2 projects are done.  and i have, gulp, 4 more i was going to do.  yikes.  i might pick just 2 and do 2 more things.

finish Mason's little Kimono dress ** yea! i did this! i did it a little wrong, but i am really happy with how it turned out, and i know what i need to do to make it right for next time.

work on embroidery-** i have been doing this, and loving it.

finish up what's going on for Campbell's party- i'm a terrible mom.  i don't know what or when i am doing this.  well, i think i know what.  but i don't know when.  

make Henry's booties - i didn't even start this.

start Henry's hospital bag- ** but i did finish this!

register at the hospital- i was going to do this- but i have an appointment next week, and i decided, why take an extra trip up to the hospital, if i need to be there anyway?

** and from last week:

call healthy families- nope

hang other item- double nope

ok, so i really need to get more on the ball for this week.  i do think i bit off a lot on the list for last week.  so i will try and be a little more realistic this week.

week 4

put up pictures

finish picture window with frames

make Campbell's backpack

finish Henry's hospital bag ** DONE!

start Jana's baby gift

follow up with healthy families

finish pictures in kids room

do top shelf frames

added from last week:

finish Meaghen's baby gift

finish Kris's birthday gift

Henry's booties

hang other item

register at hospital

plan my big boys birthday party!

tomorrow

tomorrow morning is my third (and most likely last) baby shower.  i am getting pretty excited.  

there really is nothing else to say.  i am excited, and looking forward to getting to spend the morning with my friends and food and fun.  whoo hoo.

a wonderful day for new fabrics

i often time see women posting about their fabric stashes and having weekly posts about new fabric.  how i am full of jealousy and want to be able to have a weekly post of new fabric.  Sam would probably say with the amount of fabric i tend to buy, i could.  

but i have incredibly self-control (only for fabric) because i will wait and buy only clearance or marked down fabric.

however after seeing the new Robert Kaufman today.... my self-control may be sitting on the shelf ** i want the apples (oh the apples) and the chicks (on green fabric, not the yellow) and those trees...

anyways.

the last few days have been particularly challenging with the kids.  ok, they have sucked.  mason basically cries from 4-6 every day.  and campbell is an extension of my shadow.  but i love them, and i am committed to them.

and then mason refuses to take any nap.  and campbell doesn't want to play by himself.  and i realize that, hey the kids and i left sunday for an 1 1/2 hours, and that's been it for me, no alone time, not getting out of the house at all.

so when Sam came home at 11:30 today (am) he generously kicked me out of the house.  i finished my latte (for stamina- as i was curled up under a blanket watching sesame street when he got home) and left!

and didn't return till after 2.

it was marvelous!

and....

i bought fabric.

extra marvelous.

and i broke down (not really breaking down, i have wanted this for awhile, and finally stopped contemplating and bought it!) and bought Anna Maria Horner's book Seams to Me (the sew mama sew blog links it a cheaper price than what i got it for... however i do have it in my hands tonight!)

getting out of the house gave me a wonderful burst of energy (which is now completely gone) but it was great.  and usually when making multiple stops, i give up after the first and go home.  and today i didn't!

ahh.  so below are my new fabrics.

drool away.  i am.

yes, this IS more moda fabric.  i cannot resist it.  i've got pillow projects in mind.

i found these little kitties at ben franklin today.  i love them.  i am such a cat person.  the pink ones i am going to use in a little quilt (also for meaghen's baby)

the top stars/flowers fabric will also appear in meaghen's baby quilt.

and i love this cowboy fabric! i got a yard of it... its going to be incorporated into jana's baby boy gift... would a little boy kimono top be to girly?  with dark blue bias trim... and maybe blue bottoms?  hmmm...

and then a little bit of flannel to make Campbell a tiny drawstring bag to keep his fire trucks in.

aw fabric.

some completed projects

i have been getting some things done.  unfortunately i have been adding more to my list. well not unfortunately, i just keep remembering things that i need to be doing.

but i have gotten some things done!

above is my beginning attempts at embroidery.. I love doing embroidery! i wish i was a little (okay a LOT) better, but I am absolutely enjoying taking the time to learn.  I love LollyChops for her great free patterns and her fun exciting blog! Check her out- she's inspiring me!

These two little designs above are for part of the bag I am making for Henry's clothes for the hospital (really just an excuse to start embroidery). I wrote his name out by hand, and sketched the lion from a coloring book... here we have the ever exciting burp cloths! well, i think they are ever exciting.  these 3 are part of the baby gift i am making for my friend meaghen. she is due just days before me (she gets to have her baby first, she's got have a c-section) i love the top stitching that i did on these, although i knew i was running out of the purple thread, so i simply did purple in the middle of one burp cloth, and then did white the rest of the way- it looks a little different, but i like it.


these are just some shots of the blanket I made for Henry.  now i have made each one of the kids a crocheted blanket to come home from the hospital in.  this blanket doesn't become their "night night" but instead i put it away for them to have when they are older.


and this? what's this? a sneak peak of a project that i am working on... hee hee

oh my

my wednesday why:

why oh why do women choose to degrade their bodies? 

Sam and i were watching a tivo'd episode of a late night talk show (this particular show we only tivo for the sometime interesting musical artist) and this absolutely horrid performer (wait i don't know if that's a good word to use) comes on.

so this horrid guy is a rapping, and there are 2 girls just dancing in the background.  not singing, just a dancing.

oh that's right, until the chorus of this rapping comes on, and one of the girls comes out, and another rapper pulls off her clothes to reveal a "polka dot bikini" in correlation with the songs lyrics.

and then, yup she just goes to the back of the stage and keeps dancing.

and then during the next round of the chorus, the next girl comes up, and yup she's stripped down as well.

why?

why do women think that dancing around to a rap song, on national television, is ok?

and why do i have to raise my daughter in a culture that embraces this?

because its a fallen world.

but i can teach my daughter to respect her body and her heart (and i think she will have a bit of help with her dad and her bookend brothers).

it is my constant prayer that i can raise a well rounded daughter who loves the Lord and will know that her body doesn't need to be used to attract attention.

it won't be easy.

but i am committed.  

ode to my projects

oh my dear list of projects, i know you need to be done

however, my back pain is quite less than fun.

standing and pressing fabric is my great desire,

but i can't seem to be able to light a fire

under my feet which are perched up for a bit

however, i do have a child who will throw a fit

if he stays in the bath a minute longer,

which means my desire for projects will grow ever fonder.

i do believe that one day the time will come

that all of my projects will be done.

but for tonight, all i can do is look back and sigh,

and my beautiful sewing machine turned off for the nigh,

maybe later tonight, or perhaps tomorrow i'll find

the energy in my body that matches my mind.