Twofer

Please ignore the poor quality of this photo.

Focus, instead, on the look on Elena's face.

Joy.

It's so rarely captured by my camera that I felt the need to share.

Blurry or not.

Yes.
I blogged twice today.
Which I try not to do.

BUT.

a) I caught a great, albeit fuzzy, photo of my devastatingly cute kid and
b) I made a second shirt.

This one has a few mistakes, too.

But not as many.

In fact,

the largest mistake I made with this top was using white.

Happy Weekend.

and

Cheers!

A

Imperfectly

My friend Rebecca gave this pattern to me as a going away gift.

She likes to sew.

She got me into quilting.

So, logically it would make sense that she

would jumpstart my foray into the world 

of clothes making.

And by "jumpstart" I mean shove.

I finally got up the courage to try the pattern.

I completed the shirt today.

It is not perfect.

It's not even close.

But there are parts of it that I am really proud of.

Especially the part where I say

"I made it."

Cheers,

A

Intended Purpose.

Of this I am certain:

PlayDoh is an integral part of childhood.

A staple toy.

At some point in our lives we each played with playdoh.

Made burgers. 

Or ice cream.

Or snakes and balls and cookie cutter shapes.

And those of us who were a little more daring,

perhaps a little defiant

(I'm having trouble thinking of an example of such a child...)

We were so brave as to combine our colors.

Rendering our playdoh forever changed.

Never to be returned to its original condition.

But even those of us who did the unspeakable combining of colors...

I am certain we didn't do this:

And the above photo is a perfect example of playdoh's purpose.

DRL and Elena were playing together before we went to the Austin Zoo.

I went to join them and saw the amazingness that DRL was creating for Elena.

A baby.

With its own playdoh bouncy chair.

Eventually,

as parents often do,

playdoh daddy got tired.

He needed to rest.

So DRL built him his own chair.

And while he was making intricate, detailed sculpture

I was making this:

Goodbye forever,

A

Wednesday Wisdom : NERD ALERT!

I would like to use this blog as a forum in which to announce the following.

One: I am a huge nerd.

Two: I have jiggly arms.

Three: Only I think I am funny.

And the fourth, and possibly most nerdy: I own a sewing machine.

I know how to use it (kind of).

I am making my

(cough. cough. ahem. cough.)

FIFTH quilt as we speak.

It is called a "String quilt" because you take strings of fabric and sew them onto a backing.
Usually paper.
I, however, am far too inept for this method
and so I am using inexpensive white cotton for the backing.

I should also note that I am not making a quilt.
I am making a duvet cover.

For my bed.

See those little squares?
They are 8 inches.
I have to make approximately
ONE HUNDRED FORTY FOUR of them.

I have 12 done so far.

BUT.

Last night I got out my graph paper notebook and decided to do some sketching.
I tried my hand at quilt design.

And this is what I came up with....

Instead of 144 string pieced quilts

which I would have no chance of completing before my 83rd birthday

I now have significantly less to make.

Some of my blocks will just be

plain

old 

brown.

With a white stripe on the bias.

So as to make the diamond pattern.

And....if you turn the drawing upside down

you have a whole new look.

It's like two quilts in one.

Err...I mean Duvet Covers.

or something.

Cheers,

A

Audition

DRL and I took the girls down the street to the park near our house.
He takes them there every day, but I wanted to watch Elena play.

Little did I know
Elena wasn't much in the mood for play.

She took her trail mix

And arranged it neatly at the end of the merry go round.

She was so methodical about it.
So precise.

Then I decided to spin the merry go round.
All the mix went flying.
Into the dirt.

I am a horrible mother.

Elena was sad.
And once she threw her fit,
as two year olds often do,
she was fine.

She was better than fine.

In fact,
She decided to audition for lead singer in a rock band.

"Hello New Yoooooooooork! Are you ready to rooooooooock?!?!"

I think I'll make a great stage mother.

And while all of this was going on
Stella was doing this:

I don't know how she can sleep through all that loud rock music.

Cheers!

A

P.S. To all of our past and present service members,
thank you.

For Real.

For Everything.

Lovey

A couple years ago I made Elena a teddy bear out of this book. 

I made it in blue.

I didn't want everything she owned to be pink.

I recently decided

so as to be completely fair

that I should also make one for Stella.

I didn't want hers to be pink either.

Elena's blue bear coordinates well with the quilt I made her.

So I thought I could match Stella's to her quilt, too.

And so I picked green.

Washable cotton.

Soft. 

We are hoping that perhaps she'll attach to it.

It will be her lovey.

Her safety item.

So far the plan is working.
And yes.
Your eyes do not deceive you.
The bear has no arms.
Yet.
I am working on those as we speak

I am working on the ears, too.

My progress has been slowed

however

due to Elena's inability to leave anything belonging to mommy alone.

Or out of her mouth.

Exhibit A:

My only pair of size 3 needles have been compromised.

I am off to find a knitting store.
Perhaps one that sells titanium needles.

Cheers,
A