As it should be

Ah... the first dirty little feet of spring. I love this time of year. Everything is budding and blossoming and growing, and we have a little guy who is experiencing it all for the first time. So lovely to put his pudgy little feet on the warm asphalt for the first time and hear his "Oh!" of pleased surprise.
And to make the "outside world" even more wonderful, it seems the Monarch butterflies have chosen our back yard to fly over during their annual migration. There are literally about 10 butterflies fluttering overhead at any given moment. Can you see them? It feels almost magical out there!
A couple of really cute boys on a farm in the California hills. Seriously - I am such a lucky mommy!

And the Winner is...

... Jamie, who said "I bought one of your beautiful blankets before my little one was born and I love it. she would love a little blanket to sleep with. I think she already has a preference for homemade. I am going to be in trouble:)"

Thanks for all the comments, and hopefully I'll be able to do another giveaway soon. (Jamie, I'll contact you to get your shipping information.)

Twain Harte

That look on that adorable face is EXACTLY why we took this trip. The entire trip was precipitated by Moses telling Brett that winter is his favorite season because of the snow. He decided then and there that we needed to hit the slopes one more time before the season was over. We took our friends the McCarthys and had a BLAST playing and relaxing - the perfect combination of people and activities.
We ended up at Pine Crest Lake which was only partly full of water, the rest being full of snow! The men folk hit the snow right away... actually, so did Jen and the ever-amiable baby Elle. It was a little tricky figuring out what to do with a 4 month old in the snow, but I managed pretty well: he napped in the car while I read my book in the front seat. When he finally woke up, we ventured out to watch a bit of sledding, eat a few chocolate chip cookies (I ran up and down the snowy hill a few times to make myself feel better about the cookies), and then headed back to the car and straight to the pizza parlor (where I nullified all afore-mentioned running). Pretty darn great.
The end of the day was full of the usual post-snow activities: changing into warm dry clothes (doesn't that feel so great?!?!), eating a great dinner, making s'mores outside, then bath, books, and bed. A great way to say goodbye to winter and enjoy a super fun vacation that is only 2 hours away from home. Thanks for coming with us McCarthys!!!

Giveaway!!!

I haven't done a giveaway for a long time, and now my mistake is about to become your fabulous free blanket. I made this awesome security blanket without realizing that a tiny bit of the blue dye in the print had bled and left a faint streak down one side of the blanket. I tried taking a picture of the streak but it wouldn't show up on camera - it's really faint. BUT, I can't justify selling it in my shop, so I'm going to give it away. I promise you'll love it, streak and all! Just leave a comment on this post by the end of the week (March 28'th) and I'll draw a name at random and send it to you!

Just for Laughs

He screams bloody-murder if I put a pacifier or a bottle anywhere near his mouth, but apparently the back end of a duck suits him just fine. Who woulda thought?

Introducing the Deluxe Mini

The other day I wound up with three hours during the day TO MYSELF, and this is what I did with my time. I've been wanting to make an all cotton version of the security blankets I offer in my shop (no minkee backing, which I know can be irritating to some babies with very sensitive skin). So the deluxe mini baby quilt was born - it's a little bit bigger than the security blankets and is square shaped, rather than rectangular. And it was FUN to make - there will definitely be more coming to the shop. (Though I can't imagine the stars will align again any time soon allowing me such a huge block of free time!)

Operation Redecoration - Phase One

I've been itching to redecorate my house for a LONG time - my plan was to have it done before Titus was born, but then I was put on bed rest and spent a month laying on the couch in my mother-in-law's gorgeous living room. I suppose that was a good thing, because I had a lot of time to figure out what I wanted to do. The verdict: add color. I wish I had taken a before picture - someone once told me "everything in your house is made of sticks." Not exactly how I want my home described! Brown, brown, brown. So I've tried to add a tad more color - I do have to be careful, because we basically live in one room, so anything too over-the-top would be overwhelming.
This is the area I managed to redo over the weekend. I LOVE how it turned out (although I'm still looking for the knob to the big cabinet...). It feels sort of Anthropologie-esque. My favorite part is the embroidery hoops that I turned into frames for some of my favorite fabrics.
So phase one is complete (minus the missing knob). Next is the terrible corner that I've been battling ever since we got married and moved in here... I'll take before pictures of that one so you can appreciate the amazing transformation.

Good Things from my Favorites

I don't have anything earth shattering to blog about today, but here are a few good links for you:

1. Great post on how to get your child to read from Scribbit.

2. Wonderful idea from Design Mom - and it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas, right?

3. IceKubi - my new favorite shop to browse through as I think about redecorating my house. I'm trying to decide which one to buy!

4. If you're looking for a quick fun sewing project, try these. On my "some day" list of things to do.

Tomorrow we're off to Twain Harte for some good old fashioned fun in the snow. Hopefully I'll have lots of pictures to share with you!

P.S. The picture is of the latest addition to my shop - a security blanket made from the sweetest vintage fabric! Little girls have all the luck...

Treasury

My patchwork play mat was featured in this gorgeous treasury by Dalim. I couldn't figure out how to take a screen shot of the whole thing, so you'll have to go here to see the rest - definitely worth the click!

Spring, is that you?

Moses has been begging to go to Ed Levin County Park, (known affectionately as "Evalina") which is right by our house, for weeks, but it has been too wet and rainy to go. Today was beautiful, though, and we all went to enjoy the outdoors - what a gorgeous day!
If you live in the area, you should definitely take a family trip to this park. It is in the Milpitas foothills and there is a really fun playground, a lake with ducks and fishing, lots of hills to run up and roll down... We had a blast!
Hope you had a great weekend!

Baby Shower

Last weekend I helped throw a baby shower for my friend Jenny. I was decorations girl, and decided that rather than bring a bunch of store-bought things that would just get thrown away, I would make decorations that Jenny could actually use for the baby. It was a lot of sewing, but I had a blast and it was especially fun making things for such a dear friend and her new little guy.
(Please forgive the poor-quality pictures. My camera was flashing it's low battery light as I took these in a panic, trying to get some shots in before it shut off.) The theme was turquoise and green, and I made bibs as decorations for the front door and tables. Favors were cookies in the shape of "C" (for baby Chase) frosted in green and turquoise icing. Yum! (Moses ate about 5 of the left over ones.)

This banner was my favorite project - I love how it spells Chase's name! I got the idea from here - etsy is such a great site for inspiration and ideas!
I also made a button bouquet - I wish I had a picture of this on the party table because it turned out so cute! Moses and I had a blast making this - he got to sort buttons by shape and size and color, then we stacked them in various combinations and added the wire. I actually kept this as decoration for Moses' room. I got the idea from another etsy artist - thanks! It was a lot of fun and also so great to work with Vickie, Debra, and Pam (of the famous cookies) on the shower.

Distracted

Sorry... I've been a bit distracted from blogging by all the cuteness going on around here. Seriously - I can hardly stand it. He's so cute it hurts!