Something for us

I started making this quilt when I was pregnant with Titus and VERY sick. Not only was I throwing up every few hours, but I was taking an anti-nausea medication that did nothing except make me feel like my arms were going to fall off. (It's always a bad sign when the pharmacist says "huh - this used to be prescribed as an anti-psychotic," when she hands you a bottle of pills.) I was completely worthless, so Brett took Moses to his parents' cabin to leave me alone in my misery. I decided I was going to do something productive with my "freedom," so I pieced this together using a charm pack (I think that's what it's called...) I bought at the Twain Harte drug store. I spent the entire day piecing it, quilting it, making and attaching the binding... and then the mere sight of it would make me dry-heave, so I was forced to pack it away.

Well, the other day I found it amongst my fabric stash and realized that the leaned association had worn off enough for me to finish stitching the binding. Now Titus has his very own little quilt. I love having a baby quilt just for him - the other ones we have are technically Moses' (though he is very good at sharing them). Titus loves it - all the little patterns and the red and white backing are really eye-catching.

I tried to do a cutesy photo shoot of Titus and the quilt, but most of the pictures turned out like this:

so I gave up. That's why there are no kids in the pictures in my shop. :)

... and then the wind blew

Imagine being less than a year old and feeling the wind on your face for the first time. This is what it feels like. And imagine being so early into this life that you intrinsically feel grateful for it - he couldn't tell me he felt that way, but I could tell. Even though he is too young to understand the concept of God, it was as if he intrinsically knows that He exists. And it seemed like he was throwing up a sweet little thank you to that wonderful being who made something as wonderful as wind.

Sewing Update

There are a few more coaster sets in the shop. This round was frustrating because something kept going wrong with my sewing machine. We now have a few new sets of coasters at our house with little mess-ups in their quilting. It is nice having some more for myself, though!

And this year I'm actually thinking ahead - here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on:

Today the grass was shiny

It was breathtaking, actually.

So pretty we had to get right down in it. I love little gifts like this in the middle of a regular old day. Beautiful.

Vintage

Here is a very small sampling of the fabrics I got from my Grandma. Pretty cute - definitely vintage colors and prints. I LOVE tiny floral prints, and there are so many of them! What makes these fabrics even better is that they've spent the last 30 years packed in cloves and lavender, so they smell heavenly.

Using some of my more modern fabrics, I'm working on a few little things for the shop. I got all the corners trimmed last night and today I get to flip them. I love flipping - you finally get to reveal all your hard work. I'll show the finished products in a few days.

Montana!

Titus and I got back from our trip to Montana a few days ago, and I feel like we went back in time for the weekend (in a good way. A great way.) My Grandma and Uncle Brian live in a small log house in the middle of the woods at the base of the mountains, right next to the Flat Head River. They don't have a microwave, dishwasher, tin foil, or live anywhere near a "real" grocery store. In the evenings they turn on gospel music and play Scrabble (Grandma always wins). Their home is full of my Grandma's sewing supplies and Uncle Brian's huge painted canvases, which lean against boxes and boxes of herbal tea that he's made. It smells like lavender, cloves, and vinegar and is immaculately clean. I love it there.

It is a simple, healthy life, and in spite of how exhausting it was taking an infant on four plane flights in three days, I feel as if I experienced some sort of a detox. Living away from crowds, technology - even sugar - felt great. I don't know if I could do it forever like them, but it was sure nice in the small dose I experienced.

Oh, and it was COLD! I am such a wimp, having lived in California my whole life, where we think it's "freezing" when it hits 40 degrees. Well, in Hungry Horse, it was 7 degrees at night and not much warmer during the day. This is the type of cold where you put on all your clothes, go outside, and two minutes later go back inside because you realize it is literally not healthy for you to be out there any longer. We did manage to take one quick walk - I put Titus in four layers of clothes, then put him in my wool sweater like a sleeping bag and put my wool socks on his hands all the way up to his shoulders. The poor kid couldn't move, but he seemed to enjoy the sights. The entire edge of the river was frozen - pretty crazy.

I came home with a huge bin of vintage fabric and a sewing machine from my Grandma - she wanted me to take everything but of course I couldn't fit it all on the plane. I'm hoping to post a few pictures of fabric when I get the chance, and am looking forward to getting to work on it. Thanks Grandma and Uncle Brian for a wonderful visit (of course they'll never read this because they don't have a computer)! We love you guys!

Lists

With my upcoming trip to Montana looming, I have been making lists like crazy. Lists of what to pack in what bag, lists of what to do before I leave, lists of questions I have about traveling with a baby cross-referenced with which friends to ask these questions, lists of what I need to buy... and all the lists are rattling around in my brain (usually writing them down helps, but this time it isn't) distracting me from everything else I need to do. Like keep two children alive, for instance. Hopefully we all survive tomorrow so Titus and I can get on the plane early Friday morning and put us all out of our misery.

PS - New little quilt in the shop.

Father-Son Camp out

Last weekend Brett and Moses went on their annual father-son camping trip with our friends Drew, Ian, and Kellar. (Titus is still too little so he got to stay at home with me.) They went to Kennedy Meadows, which is where Brett and his dad went for all their camping trips when Brett was a kid. They had a wonderful time with lots of adventures. Here they are with the fish Moses caught using the grasshopper that he also caught by trapping it with Daddy's hat. Pretty dang cool (all those Man vs. Wild episodes seem to have paid off...)

And this is what they woke up to the final day - snow! Luckily they were staying in a "sleeper cabin" rather than tents - that might have been a bit too extreme for two 3 year olds and a five year old! Moses was thrilled; snow is absolutely his favorite thing on earth and he got to play in it for hours before packing up to drive home.

Titus and I are really glad to have them home and it was fun hearing all their stories. This coming weekend Titus and I are taking an adventure of our own - we'll be going to Hungry Horse, Montana to visit my Grandma. Any tips on flying with an 11 month old? Seriously - I need all the help I can get!