a busy mama

i have been doing a lot of sewing. there are so many things that i want to try, and i just can't find enought time in the day to do it all. but, i have found a little time here and there, and have managed to throw together a few things. most of my efforts have been concentrated on little coloring kits (crappy name, i know, i need to do some thinking and come up with a new one). i gave one to bethany on her birthday, and the recieved some requests from other moms, so i did a few more. they are really easy, and i just love how practical they are. here are a few of them.





also, last night, i was itching to try making a pincushion (as i am in great need of one, and i have a lot of scrap fabric these days that i don't want to waste). here is what i whipped up...

there are a few more things that i have made that i cant put here because they are christmas gifts for people who read this blog, but i took pictures and i promise that i will put them on after christmas.

as a result of all of this sewing, i have decided to open up an etsy shop. etsy is a place to sell handmade items online, and i am excited to get enough things made to open. it will probably be sometime after christmas (too bad i didnt do this faster, because those coloring kits would be perfect stocking stuffers). i will certainly keep everyone posted, and would love suggestions of things that i should consider making for the shop.

a busy guy

today, gabe was a very busy little man. i was working all day, which gabe loves because this particular house has an abundance of toys that he finds incredibly more interesting than any of the ones that we have at home. he entertained himself all day and left me free to knit, clip coupons, cook, read blogs, and so many other wonderful things. here are a few snapshots of what he did today.

nights of lights

one of my favorite things about christmas in st augustine is nights of lights. it is so incredible to see all of the plaza draped in white lights and i just love to stroll through and enjoy the crisp air (and always with a scarf, because i feel that a scarf is an important part of the experience). last night was the official lighting ceremony, and although we didnt make it to the ceremony, steve, gabe and i did go downtown for a walk tonight. gabe was all bundled up and cozy in his stroller, but didnt seem interested in the lights at all. oh well, maybe next year.

party time!

today, gabe and i went to bethany's seventh birthday party (watch out chris and debbie, she is one year closer to being a teenager! can you even imagine?) my favorite thing about it was that it was a horse themed party, which, for anyone who knows bethany, was no surprise as the last several years have yielded horse-themed parties, and i predict that at least the next few will as well. it was crazy and a lot of fun, and gabe had a great time hanging out with so many people. here's a picture of gabe and bethany and caroline.

frozen apple slices

frozen apple slices are the only thing that allows me to cook dinner. i can usually set gabe up with one at the table and buy about 45 minutes. it is great and he cheers when he sees the disgusting mesh thing that they go in. but at least he will sit happily so that i can make us a decent meal.

heather

late monday night, i picked my sister, heather, up from the airport. she has been in new zealand for the semester doing her student teaching, and the whole family is really excited to have her home in time for thanksgiving.

it has been a busy week with her here... hanging out, watching the first season of the OC (i am truly ashamed) and waiting for heather's jet lag to go away. gabe really enjoyed having her here. he broke out into a cheesy smile everytime she even looked his way and flirted endlessly with her. it was a nice preview to what the holidays will hold for us.

gabe and heather in their matching new zealand gear.

gabe happily playing with the stuffed kiwi that heather brought back for him.

a nice visit

this weekend, we headed to tallahassee for the first time in a long time. it was a fun and busy weekend, and quite out of character for me, i took very few pictures. we stayed with steve's parents, and gabe loved spending time with them. he was all smiles the entire time. we also went to a baby shower for some friends of ours (where i gave them my quilt and one of the t-shirt hats, among other things) and had a playdate with some old friends and some new friends. and, we spent time with my dad, who made us an awesome gumbo and played with a still smiling gabe. what a trooper gabe was, napping wonderfully, sleeping in the car and smiling and laughing at everyone he met. i even got to go to joann's and pick out some new fabric for a quilt that i will be starting as soon as i get all of those other projects that i have planned out of the way.

at our playdate with sophie, who is three weeks younger than gabe and just as sweet as she can be. also there, but not pictured, was sophie's mom danielle, megan, and our new friend lane gunter and her adorable and oh so tiny 5 week old, camp. like i said, i didnt take nearly enough pictures!

playing with my dad! they became the best of buddies immediately, and my dad kept gabe laughing and having fun the entire night.

a new job

when i was a freshman, i took a job nanny-ing for three-year-old and one-and-a-half-year-old sisters. i worked for this particular family very consistently for about two years and then periodically until now. the girls' mother threw me a wedding shower, and every time i think that we have cut ties for good, we end up reconnecting.

i thought that gabe's arrival would signal the official end of our relationship, as they have now added a little boy to the bunch (he is one and a half). however, this week, i watched these particular children again, and it looks like it will end up being a regular job. i have really enjoyed spending time with the girls and getting to know the new little one, as well as reconnecting with their mother.

here are some pictures from the last few days:

gabe trying to get my knitting. he is quick!

this is how he stands, by using his face to push himself up on my legs.

when he finally is standing, he is so proud!

there is a swing at the house we go to, and gabe thinks that is fun!

just after i took this picture, he tried to eat the ball.

trying to make a grand escape from the house. he is really quick!

always on the move

gabe has learned to finger-feed himself little bits of banana (which, considering how slippery they are, is a lot harder than it sounds!). so, every night, when he is bored, and i am getting a little tired of sitting on the floor with him while he uses me to practice standing (or is it is time for me to make dinner, and he wont stop harassing the dogs), i strip him down to his diaper, put him in the booster seat and give him bananas. it buys me at least 45 minutes, and he loves it. afterwards, i take his sticky butt straight to the bath tub. here is a video from bath time today. i dont know why we never put him on his belly before. he lasts twice as long in the tub when he is happily splashing on his belly instead of trying to stand up while holding onto the side.



after his bath, i let him crawl around a bit. i was stuffing his cloth diaper, and when i finished, he was no longer in the room, but out in the hall. i couldnt resist getting a little more video, because he was so proud of himself. (also, note that he burps in the middle of the video. he is such a guy. oh, and sorry for the random baby nudity... what could i do?)

hats, hats, hats!

i just finished sewing 18 baby hats! i bought a bunch of t-shirts at betty griffin and made the hats out of them. it was so easy that i would estimate the total amount of time i spent working (cutting, pinning, sewing) to be about an hour and a half. it was very therapeutic!


this week, the sign at the bank looks like this:


also, last night, steve and gabe and i went downtown for art walk (where i discovered a quilting store that inspired me to start another quilt). it was a little cold, so i bundled gabe up. he was very stern all night, and i couldnt resist a picture.

putting it together... kind of

gabe has been working hard on learning to crawl. sometimes i wonder if he will even bother with crawling; he seems content to scoot all over the house. he has been attempting the hand movements to a real crawl over the last few days. i just love how much concentration he puts into it.

simple way to help

one of the blogs that i read regularly just birthed a blog baby. the newborn blog is dedicated to helping others through homemade items, and the first task is sewing homemade newborn caps to put into "safe birthing kits" for women in haiti. the caps are made of old t-shirts, and the bottom of the cap is the hem of the shirt, so there is not even any hemming to be done. it was literally one of the easiest sewing projects i have ever attempted, and i could just as easily have done it by hand as with a machine. the organization that is sponsoring this project is not, to my knowledge, a Christian one, but i think that for the very small amount of time and effort that it would take to make a bunch of caps, it would be a great thing to do. there certainly is an incredible amount of need in haiti. so, if anyone would like to get together sometime soon for a cap-sewing party, i would be happy to go to betty griffin and pick up a bunch of t-shirts!

here is the cap that i just made: it is made of one of steve's old, white t-shirts, and i quickly potato-printed three stars on it. it is not my favorite, but it took me a grand total of about fifteen minutes from beginning to end.

thug life

today, i caught gabe looking like this:


his grown-up-looking clothes are really, really great, but they are not especially conducive to crawling around on the floor. his pants are too long, and his feet get stuck, and he ends up looking like a thug with his pants at his knees.

this afternoon, gabe and i met dana, arden and esther at carousel park. gabe tried the swing, the slide and the carousel. he didnt care about the slide or the carousel, but the swing... well that was fun! he cheered and drooled and loved it! guess we will have to start going to the park more often.


before heading home, we went to starbucks to get a free cup of "i voted" coffee. it was the perfect weather for a cup of coffee. thanks, starbucks!

baby quilt

last week, i decided to try my hand at quilting. mind you, i had no idea what i was doing, nor did i do any research in order to figure out what i should do. i just decided to try it and see what happened. i am actually pretty pleased with the final product, a baby-sized quilt. i made it in dark colors so that it could serve as a play mat and withstand the drool and spit-up. i am considering giving it to a friend for her baby shower, as i have caught the quilting bug and will probably make another one as soon as i find fabric that inspires me. it is not perfect by any means, but it is a great, sturdy homemade gift.

not for the faint of heart...

mimi, you have been warned, you will gasp when you see the picture that follows:


today, steve and gabe and i took advantage of the gorgeous weather that we have been enjoying lately. we went to the cross park and laid in the grass for a while (one of my favorite past times). gabe loved exploring the grass and i had to watch him closely so that he didnt swallow any leaves.

1. with mom, 2. trying to set the leaf on fire with his mind, 3. whispers, 4. a thinker, 5. whats this? more grass?, 6. wow, 7. thoughtful, 8. i am ashamed, 9. pinned

the cross park is one of my favorite places in st augustine. it is great for flying kites, blowing bubbles, laying in the grass, having a picnic (the squirrels eat out of your hand), it also has a really old graveyard, and it is on the waterfront so there is always a great breeze. it was a really nice afternoon together.