I went away and now I'm back.

I went to Arizona to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday.
It was an awesome reunion and it was great to see so many relatives! 

I didn't take one single picture.  I'm so mad at myself!
But here are some pictures from my sister, Booke's camera.  She's good like that.  She took probably 350 pictures and then sent me some. 




that's me and kara laughing.  I think it's funny:)

Tommee wanted me to hold her for like 10 minutes.  {it was really windy out!} It's the only quality time I got with my little neice all weekend.  I didn't even tell any of those whipper snappers goodbye. 
Here are a few shots with the siblings:

Krista, Kara, Caleb, Brooke, meeeeeeee.

just for your information, Krista (far left) is something like 28 weeks pregnant with her third child.  How did we get such opposite pregnancy genes?  I was trying not to be jealous, but then again it was easy, because she's the sweetest most gracious hostess.  Thank you, darling sister.


and finally one with the mama:


How was that?  So many people complain that I don't put pictures of myself up on the blog.  Now would you recognize me on the street?  It'll have to do until the next time I forget to take any pictures and have to use them from my sister's camera:)

DIY baby project: embellishing onsies

Here’s another project I did while on bed rest. It’s a onsie. It’s not scary. Even if you end up hating it, you just put it under pajamas and no one will ever know. It’s a great little project because it uses up your little scraps of fabric and it is one of those projects that is small enough to take with you so you can work on it while you’re waiting in the pick up line at school. It’s quick and satisfying and personal.



I made a little tree for Eden and a little birdie for Jane. Someone put them on the wrong baby and I couldn’t let it be. I had to change them around so they were worn by the proper owner. Eden is a sacred garden. Adam and Eve walked and talked with God there. It was beautiful and peaceful and celestial. So I made a tree to represent her. Jane’s middle name is Olivia, of Latin origin, meaning olive tree. The olive tree/branch is a symbol of peace, fruitfulness and beauty. Also, religiously speaking, Noah released a dove and it brought back an olive leaf to Noah to let him know that the floods were receding. It is a symbol of hope to me. So I made a bird for Jane. She also loves music and is calmed by singing and will hum as she’s wandering around the house, so I am still planning on embroidering “songbird” next to her birdie. I like to make things that are meaningful to me in some way. Even if no one else gets it, I get it and for some reason it makes me happy.

You start by making simple sketches. Keep it super simple. Think about using 2-5 different fabrics. I make a couple small sketches until I like the concept and then have at the fabric. I like to freehand it. It can be a scary thing to do if you’ve never done it before, but it is very satisfying and I like that each one that you make is it’s own little one of a kind. If you want to, practice with some construction paper before you try it with fabric. Sometimes I mess it up and have to start over, but most of the time the freehanded things come out perfectly fine.



If you don’t want to think up your own designs, you can use one of mine.
apple:



owl:



 I sketched these out quickly for you and then left them out and one of the babies got to them. They have been crinkled up and sucked on, straightened back out and scanned in my scanner that could obviously use a good cleaning. But you get the picture, and I just don’t have the time and patience to do it a second time.

click HERE for the bird and tree pattern.

So here we go, step by step:



Cut the fabric shapes for your shirt. Make sure to have the onsie handy to check the size of your design, because the area that you are working on can be really small if it’s for a newborn.



With embroidery floss, sew the shapes together so that it is one piece that you will be able to attach to the onsie without making the inside of the shirt a mess of embroidery strings.

Pin it onto the onsie.



 Sew it on, following the edge of the design closely.






After washing, the edges will be frayed and it’s a sweet little effect. You can embellish it with buttons and felt and whatever else your heart desires. But keep in mind that babies sleep a lot and depending on their age will be laying down most of the time, so you don’t want to add any embellishments that will irritate their skin or dig in while they are sleeping.

Here are the originals.  Those babies have gotten much cuter if you ask me;)

Have fun creating!

xo
Brittany

snippets

She's doing many double-unders all in a row.  I'm impressed every time.

I love overhearing the kids on playdates when they don't think I'm listening.  Here are a few snippets of my 5 year old's recent playdate with pictures from the past few days interspersed...


breakfast yesterday: green pancakes (I love peanut butter on mine), green syrup & kiwis for st. pattrick's day


Pretend that I snuck a cookie.

 Pretend that I hid while I was eating my cookie.


Pretend that you don’t see the cookie, because I already ate the cookie, even though I really didn’t.


Pretend that I’m a big girl.




Pretend that I’m a singer. I’m not very good at playing the guitar, but pretend that I’m wicked good at it.


Pretend that I’m the mom.


lunch for the babies.  I'm always sneeking in a few paragraphs here and there.
give a baby a bite. read a few sentences and get interrupted by another baby yelling for a bite. give a bite to a baby. give a bite to the other baby. read a paragraph and get interrupted by a yelling baby.


Pretend that this is a computer.

Pretend that you're my sister.

Pretend that...oh, wait, wanna go upstairs and dress up?

(Trust me, there were a million more "pretend that's" but I just couldn't write them all down:)


Pretend that I haven't been so busy that I just can't seem to catch up or keep up.

At least I don't have to pretend that I'm happy or that I live a charmed life.




It's my mamacita's birthday today!  Happy Birthday, Linda Sue!!  I hope this year is full of happiness and joy and progression for you.  I love you, woman!

salt heals wounds

That’s what they say.

so when my world is shattered

and there is no healing in sight

and those big salty

hot tears

roll down my face

I will take comfort

in the thought that my body

is trying to help heal

my splintered soul



I just put a bunch of epsom salts into my 5 year old's bath.  She dropped a three pound can of chicken broth right onto the tip of her big toe.  It was the saddest thing.  It effects me physically to even think about it.

She's been fine all week, but now her toenail is bleeding fresh blood and it is sore again.  Like waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night sore.

I hope the salt will help get any impurities out of that little-big toe.

ps, my world is not shattered today, it's just the thought that came to me when she asked me why I was putting salt into her bath.  I found it comforting.

How To: raise a sugar craised child

start them on an early diet of Thin Mint Girlscout cookies.





*important note:  it is normal for kicking and crying to occur once the cookie is consumed and no longer visible to the chid's eye.

DIY baby project: Teeny-Tiny Bath Scrubbies

I have had a year of babies.

And now lots of people I love are about to have babies.

So I’m going to share some of my favorite baby things that you can make as little projects. They are quick and easy and cute and useful. All good things!


The first one I’m going to share happened by accident. As most of you know I was on bed rest for quite a while. I needed my hands to be busy, but really when it comes down to it I really didn’t finish making almost anything. (unless you count two babies.) So I had lots of partial projects. I ended up having several little crocheted squares that were floating around and somewhere along the way I threw them in the bath with the babies and ended up loving them!

Here's an action shot for you:





They are only about 3 inch squares, so they are teeny tiny and cute! The babies like ‘em and they scrub great! Did your grandma ever make you those crocheted dish cloths? Well mine did, and they scrubbed like the dickens. I loved those things, (I sense another project coming on…) and these little cuties are along the same lines. They are tiny for tiny body parts, but you put a little shampoo on there and it is great for their scalp, too.

Here's a little game we play:

First you put it on her head.  Then you see what happens.





Then you put it on her head again and again.

This is a great take-along project. I like to have something to do in carpool lines and waiting rooms and usually have something like this in my bag. You can get these done super fast and they’re great for scrap yarn, too.





(If you don’t have any babies to bathe, you could always make some for yourself—they make great little face cleansing cloths, too.)



You crochet-ers out there, just go and do. But for those of you who like a good recipe, I have taken the liberty to write it down for ya. (if you google “learn to crochet,” you’ll find tons of tutorials, both illustrated and video.)



Teeny-Tiny Bath Scrubbies


Chain 11

Row 1: sc 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc in each ch across row, ch1, turn

Row 2: 10 sc across row, ch 1, turn.

Rows 3-10: same as row 2

Fasten off

scrubby scrub, go have fun in the tub.

xo
Brittany

happy monday!

I woke up very groggy and grumpy and Jake had to go into work early.
I have been having the craziest dreams!  I'm starting to dread going to sleep. 
(Now I know what my kids are complaining about!)

But after a half hour of the kids fighting and crying
and me walking around in a complete daze
something happened.

I looked up the weather online
and the sun started pouring in the windows.

Oh, heavenly day.  Just like yesterday.
I had dropped everything, made a picnic lunch
and took it out to the kids in a sunny patch.
After a pleasant lunch the kids ran away to play in the yard some more
and the babies were still asleep and I just layed down in the sunshine.

Then Jake came home from meetings and he came and layed down in the sunshine next to me,
still in his suit and tie.
And the kids kept running back over to check in with us in spurts.

Sometimes there's nothing a little sunshine won't help.

So this morning I thought about how
I want my kids to have a good day, not a bad mood one,
and I grabbed the irish drinking songs and turned up the volume.
You know, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day.
(What, I'm part Irish.  Didn't you know that?)
We all started singing and dancing.
And they missed the bus.

But I didn't care, we just kept dancing and
laughing about the lyrics,
"beer, beer, beer, tidly, beer, beer, beer."

Can't beat those Clancy Brothers.
Here's my personal favorite
if you feel so inclined to take a listen!



In other news, my brother and sister in law, Josh and Jamie are on thier way to Rwanda to adopt thier baby girl.  We are all so excited we can hardly stand it!  She's updating her blog about it regularly--go check it out and send them your best wishes.  (You've got to check out her nursery while you're there--that little honey is not going to know what to do with herself, coming from an orphanage and ending up in that paradise for little girls:)

grateful friday

This week has been crazy! 
I haven't been able to keep up. 

But there have been so many good things. 
I am so blessed.

Here are some of my favorite things things from this week.

I splurged and made cookies twice this week.


I love that table cloth.  Vintage. Yummy. I love chocolate chip cookies. Yummy.


(those oreos Nie keeps talking about.  CJane posted the recipe here.)

I splurged and bought myself flowers.  Lots of flowers.  They're all over the house:) (I'm suffering from spring fever.)


The light is changing.  It's lighter longer and the sun is getting higher.  These are my happy flowers in the lovely changing evening sunlight.

Two of my favorite books from reading time with the Wee Ones this week
Ish
and
George and Martha 
Holy Moly, this book makes me laugh out loud every time.

My teeny tiniest person of them all didn't cry during her bath for the first time in weeks.  Maybe months.  I'm counting that as a blessing, and I'm grateful!



She has also been walking here and there, but today she decided to really go for it.  She was just walking around on those tiny little legs.  Holding a teddy bear and walking.  Walking and stopping to pick up a toy and walking some more.  Walking to see the big kids.  Walking with her sister crawling behind her.  Walking, walking, walking.  And every time I spotted her walking I just about died from the cuteness.  That's a lot of near death experiences today!  Someone so teeny tiny just looks so CUTE walking! 

I have so many ideas lately.  So many things that I want to create.  I just don't have the time to carry it all out as fast as I would like.  But I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to create!  It brings me joy.

Jake made dinner tonight.  I was grateful.


And speaking of dinner, one of the favorite things I watched this week was Food, Inc.  (click on the link to watch the trailer.)
I keep thinking about it. If you haven't seen it, rent it on demand or do whatever it is you do. But watch it! Together we'll take a stand by purchasing the right kinds of food.



xox
Brittany

she feels like spring

She can't stop twirling.
She painted her nails light orange.
She's not wearing tights.
Oh, March. We're hoping you feel warm and sunny.


(how I love my ninabina stash.)

I'm getting a present ready for a birthday girl.
Speaking of the birthday girl, my sister, Kara,  has been blogging her training for a half ironman.  She's awesome.  You should go say hello.



don't you love click-n-ship?  I love not going to the post office.

Now I'm going to show you something I'm missing.





That's a baby. 

Lookie here:






Looking at these pictures made me think of ET.  The movie.  We watched it one morning while eating breakfast.  Oh, Elliot.

But want to see something I miss even more?

Well here, I'll show you...