Baby Quilt

So this post has been months in waiting...Tyler's brother Preston and his wife Lisa are expecting a little baby girl (due date around July 4th I think...correct me if I'm wrong Lisa). I decided way back when we first found out they were pregnant that I was going to make them a baby quilt. So I raided my mom's supply of quilting magazines looking for the cutest baby quilts. I picked one out for if they had a boy and than found this super adorable one for a girl. So I started hoping that they were going to have a girl!

And turns out...they were going to have a girl. Just to preface the quilt, when it comes to making quilts, I have only once made a quilt with the color suggestions from the pattern...only once. The thing, for me, that takes the longest is figuring out the color scheme on the quilt that I'm making and once I've figured that out, the actual arrangement of the colors is even worse!!! But when I saw this quilt pattern, I knew it was perfect and so the search began: I had to find the exact same fabrics that the designer used in the magazine...internet searches and phone calls later, I found what I needed and once the fabric came, the sewing began.

The quilt was a simple little 9 block, 1 border piece with applique. That first picture is of Lowe helping me arrange the pieces on the floor. Everything was going really smooth until I realized that I didn't have the stich required for securing the applique on my little sewing machine. So I borrowed my mom's second fancy machine (she's got three...the original yellow Singer (I believe) that made tons of things for me and my brothers growing up, the second fancy one I borrowed and than this uber awesome one that sits in her sewing room now on it's own little sewing table throne...not that I'm jealous or anything!!!).

Each of the nine blocks got an adorable little sun dress on it. Here's a close up of my favorite one! I used the floor in our office to place out the quilt as I got it closer and closer to being done.

I machine quilted this quilt...which I normally don't do but it seemed like it would be quicker, easier and prettier in the long run which it was.

Unfortunately, I realized while I was picking pictures for this post that I failed to actually get a picture of the completed quilt!!! That last picture doesn't have the binding on!!! Oh well, I guess Lisa will have to post a picture or send me one so I can post it...but this was the first quilt I did real binding on in the 6 years I've been quilting. I was always scared of it because binding never made sense to me but once my mom explained it for the billionth time and I read and re-read instructions in the quilting magazines, I got over my irrational fear and just did it and the results were impressively amazing!!!

So at last I got to post about one of the secret projects I've been working on so far this year. Yeah to babies!!! Congrats again Preston and Lisa!!! Can't wait to meet her when she comes!!!

PS: this is my 100th post!!! Woo hoo!!!

Side Items

So I must admit, I'm addicted to sewing craft websites!!! I followed this link my mom sent me for something...(I almost typed what it was but that would be a huge give away for the gifts I'm making...) and it led me to this awesome website with tons of links for free patterns and tutorials!!! (Freebies for Crafters on my blog list) I found quite a few things I'd like to do at some point in time and one of which is this super cute pleated pouch!

The website is: http://www.skiptomylou.org/?s=pleated+pouch

I have a ton of scrap fabric and a bunch of fat quarters from way back when so I decided to make a few of these pouches. A fat quater is way more than you need...you could probably get enough fabric out of one fat quarter to make 3-4 of these bags, so if you decide to make any, mix and match!!!

And these are super easy to make...From cutting out to finish, probably 30 minutes to do!!! Yeah to simple, quick and cute!

PS: The frozen potatoes worked fine in scalloped potatoes...granted they did change colors in the freezer, they still tasted fine...so freezing raw potatoes for scalloped potatoes: OK

Nothing Much Going On...

So nothing too exciting has happened in the last week. I did finally tackle the large box of potatoes we still have left from our visit to Idaho. Some of the potatoes weighed close to a pound I'm sure. I thought I could probably cut some of them up and freeze them for future use...we'll see how that goes. I figured you can buy frozen potatoes so why not make my own? Each of the purple topped containers only has one potato in it each since they were so big. I scalloped some, cubed others, make some french fries and grated the rest. The french fry cut and grated ones are in the big green containers. So that picture shows a total of 13 potatoes all cut up. And that was only about half the box...

It turns out Lowe did inherit something other than the blonde hair from me...he absolutely loves books. He'll go between you and the bookshelf until all his books have been 'read'. It's the cutest thing because he comes over to you with the book but hasn't quite got the whole turn around and sit in your lap thing down. He'll walk over with his book and just stomp all over your lap until he either falls into it or you turn him around to read.

And here's an action shot of me and Lowe on the cruiser. Lowe likes to kick the back of your legs while you're riding and likes to lift up the back of your shirt too. It's pretty funny because he'll lift up your shirt and start patting you on the back. Silly baby!

I'm really having a hard time not posting the pictures of the projects I've finished...I really want to just do it though because I'm afraid Whitney might stumble upon the items and make some for herself between now and Christmas. She's got this cool blog with recipes and crafts on it and I'm hoping she doesn't find inspiration to make herself the things I'm making...Tyler says don't worry, she won't but I'm not too sure!!! We'll see how much longer my will power holds out for...not sure if I can pull a Lisa and keep it to myself for 4-5 months!!! (This is in reference to the awesome clocks she made for Christmas last year...she told me she had made one for herself months earlier but couldn't say anything about it and made sure not to post pictures of her living room!!!) I finished something this week and I made it during Lowe's nap one afternoon...from start to finish!!! I was amazed and can't wait to take it with me to Minnesota, it's part of a wedding gift for my brother Ben and his soon to be wife Joanna. Yeah!!!

Projects Projects Everywhere

So I finished two awesome sewing projects this week but I can't go into too much detail or post any pictures!!! Why might you ask?...Because the items made were trial runs of items I am planning on making for Christmas presents for my family and Tyler's family...well, mostly for Tyler's family and the person (MOM) that we have for Christmas in my family (since there are 9 people in my family, we always get one person (family now pretty much) that we get a gift for, this makes it sooo much easier to do Christmas affordably!!!). My mother knows what I'm making and somehow, she ended up being the person on my side of the family we're to get a gift for...funny how those things happen (deny it all you want mom...i know you want what I'm making!!!) And Jill...don't you let it slip either so Whit and Lisa don't know what they're getting!!!

But I was super proud of myself for being able to follow directions without constantly hounding my mom for answers. It was nice to be able to make things by hand that look awesome and are actually functional! If anyone knows about the sewing things I normally do, I make quilts...and keep them for myself! Unlike my beautifully talented friend Karla, I don't give away the things I make but decided that I should start using my talent for the benefit of others instead of being all sorts of selfish! Quilts are a long time making and I've only got 6 months so sorry gals, no quilts for Christmas but I can't wait to get started on your presents now that I know I can make them!!! Woo hoo!!!

PS Lisa...your baby's present in on route to the post office...it should get mailed in the next day or so...this is another project I actually finished a long while ago and hopefully can post about in the next week or so once I know Lisa and Preston have had a chance to get it first and see it in person!!!

Trip to Idaho

We had the chance to go up to Burley, Idaho to visit Tyler's family over the extended weekend. It was loads of fun!!!

Here's a picture of Lowe displaying his perfect little manner...not...he's such a toddler it's not even funny!! He's way too young to be doing the kinds of things that he does (you'd swear he thought he was two or something). Diaper changes are an all out war and sitting still for longer than 30 seconds does not happen. He's such a busy little boy you'd think someone forgot the off switch on the child!

I absolutely love the face he's making in this one. This was on Sunday, I think, and apparently he was really serious about turning the handle on the hose holder there. We didn't have any pictures from Thursday through Sunday really because we didn't really do much...it was cold, windy and rainy on those days so we were pent up inside the house!

Lowe loves animals and had so much fun playing the Clyde and Jill's dog. I'm not even going to attempt to put her name on the blog because first off, it's impossible to spell and second off, no one would be able to pronounce it...But Lowe would walk up to her, put his face in hers and wait until she gave him a kiss!!! Silly baby!!!

Yes, this is Lowe digging in the dirt with a fork. I told Grandma sorry about it but she said it was alright, the fork can be washed. Alright Grandma!!! Lowe was really going after the dirt pretty good. We let this go on until he repeatedly tried to eat what he had dug up...yucky dirt!

Last Saturday was Tyler's 29th birthday!!!!!!!!!! Happy birthday silly!!! Love you tons and tons and tons!!! We celebrated with the cake on Sunday because on Saturday we were all way too stuffed from eating pizza at Gertie's (seriously if you ever find yourself in Twin Falls, Idaho find yourself a little pizza place called Gertie's, you won't regret it, they have like 10 kinds of dessert pizza!!!!!!)

And here's little Lowe eating the cake...well, maybe not eating, more like playing with the cake...um...the dog got to have a treat when Lowe was done ;)

Lowe has had this recent obsession with hats. He used to hate having things on his head but now whenever he finds a hat or helmet or anything that he can put on his head, whoop, up on that little head it goes! Lowe wandered off into grandma and grandpa's room and came out wearing one of grandpa's hats!!! Silly baby!

Tyler and his dad are getting ready for the insane mountain bike extravaganza that they, along with Preston, are going on. It consists of riding their mountain bikes from Durango, Colorado to Moab, Utah in the space of 7 days. They ride however many miles a day and than stay at this little shanty cabins that the money paid to do this are kept up with by the organizers. You have to sign up for a specific date so people don't end up trying to stay in the same little cabins I guess. But Tyler and Clyde went on a mountain bike ride on Monday and this is what Tyler came home with. It doesn't look too bad now but this picture was taken 3 days after the fact. I went on a road bike ride with the two of them on Friday (remember what I said the weather was like?) and about died due to the cold and wind!!! It was only 8ish miles and it took about an hour! Dang head wind and cold air!!!

So Lowe was apparently trying to find new ways to entertain himself with on the car ride home from Idaho (yes I said car ride home, we drove there and back!!!) I turned around to see him holding one of his soft toy balls in his mouth! Since I laughed and him, he continued to take it out and put it back in several times, laughing inbetween bites. Surprisingly the ball didn't have any breaks in the skin after it's Lowe encounter.

So that's about all the exciting things that have happened to us here in the month of May. I'll try to do better and post more often! I also think I need to be better about taking pictures and videos of Lowe on our cameras instead of just my cell phone...

So until next week!!!

Random Occurances on May

So we decided to take down the jumper we had gotten Lowe a few weeks ago (we took it down a few weeks ago not got it for Lowe a few weeks ago) and suddenly he's all sorts of interested in playing in it! Whenever we're in the office, he always climbs on in the seat and messes around with everything. And yes, I realize there's an iron sitting there in the picture with Lowe but it wasn't hot!!!


Lowe and I were playing in the sprinkler today and he had a little bit of grass on him when we were done. He wasn't messy enough to need a full fledged bath so I thought I'd just rinse off the grass in the bathroom sink. Well, he climbed right on it and decided it was a really fun place to play.

So he sat there for a good while turning on and off the cold water and enjoying every minute of it. He would babble to himself for a while, turn off or on the water, look at his reflection and talk to it. The baby in the mirror was having fun too so I guess Lowe decided it was way fun too.

Mother's Day

It was my second Mother's Day this year. It was a good one. Tyler and Lowe got me this awesome beach cruiser bike along with the baby bike seat on the back. So Lowe and I can go cruising around when we feel like it! The bike only has one speed though which makes it difficult to go long distances on it (I'm a wimp and am way too used to having my gazillion speed road bike). I also have to pedal backwards to brake!!!! I haven't had a bike like that is forever! I got on the first time, looked at the handle bars and was like "Uh, how to I brake?" Tyler just looked at me like I was stupid and was all"Uh, pedal backwards..." Sheesh!!! Also too used to the brakes being on the handle bars like on my road bike!!!


Lowe absolutely loves going on the bike. We haven't found him a helmet yet...I think we've found one at Walmart that's not so overwhelmingly big that it'll give him neck problems, we just need to go buy it! Lowe will pat me on the back and kick the back of my thighs while we're riding. He thinks it's really funny. He'll say bike now too which is pretty fun. We need to get him one of his own already because he's always wanting to ride ours!!!

Thanks boys for a wonderful Mother's Day!!! And to all those mom's out there, especially my own mom and Jill, love you and thanks for everything!!!