Baby Henry

We are feeling great and happy to be heading home very soon. Alexis predicted it in her comment here.

Finally Here!

And worth the wait- 9lbs. 21 inches
born 12:53 am, April 29

Overdue Projects

I'm almost 10 days overdue for delivery but the project we finished last night was pushing 3 years overdue. We finally unpacked our last box from Charlotte which was full of prints and pictures to be framed and hung. Paul did an excellent job completing the task while I sat in a chair eating spicy wasabi peas and seaweed snacks.

The Chinese characters read "familes are forever" so that is what we call the arrangement on this wall. Also included is the Proclamation on the Family and both group and individual shots. I am amazed how much the kids have enjoyed gazing over all the pictures and kind of wish I had the drive to complete this earlier. But I am glad we got this project done and now hope to finish moving in completely. I suppose if it were possible for me to go overdue a couple more weeks we may even make some progress on our landscaping as well.

On a side note I have been out and about all day yard-saling, strolling Red Butte Garden with the kids, shopping, hiking, and then to Red Iguana. Still no action but I must be pretty big because I attracted quite a few double takes while out in public. Also, my sister advised me to put a waterproof pad on my bed in case my water broke. I wish I took her advice because when I got back from shopping I discovered Maryanna had dumped a bucket of water on my bed.

The Optimist Creed

So I am closing in on 8 days overdue - the longest I have gone before this was only 3 days over due with the others arriving 1-2 weeks early. You just never know. The good news is I had a NST today and everything looked great. However, not wanting to put my baby at risk of any possible complications, I did schedule an induction for Monday morning.

Then what.....well I didn't have it in me to go back to the mall so I got in my car, sat in the parking lot and cried a bit. I then met Paul at red mango and although it was not as good as pinkberry, I enjoyed ease dropping on all the teenage conversation. We also went to World Market where I picked up some picture frames to complete my nesting. I discovered they sell vosges chocolates so I grabbed the Oaxaca Bar with chiles hoping it may get things moving. So far nothing, that is even after a trip to Ikea with a friend (I had to pick up more picture frames).

After all the purchased junk was put away and chocolate consumed I pulled out a plaque my Grandpa gave me in college (he was a faithful member of the Optimist Club for many years). Here is the creed:

Promise yourself-

To be so strong that nothing can distrub your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimisim come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Anyone can Clean

It is time to clean the house .... AGAIN. I guess the nesting will stop once the baby arrives but in the meantime I have enlisted the help of everyone in the home.

Those who know me well know that Don Aslett is one of my heros. You can imagine how excited I was when a Don Aslett cleaning center was opened right here in UT. It was worth the drive to South Jordan to pick up all sorts of great cleaning supplies like these dust mops, squeegees, and microfiber cleaning cloths. Maryanna is wearing one of the baby sized dust mitts I sewed out of a microfiber cleaning cloth. And don't worry she was safe standing on the back of the couch.

When I was little I remember my mom pouring sudsy water around the kitchen floor then giving each child a couple of rags to put on our feet so we could "ice skate" around the kitchen floor. It worked! We thought we were playing while we were actually helping and cleaning. Here are some of the games I now play with my own kids.... dust mop racing, dirty dust mitt contests, vaccum tag, and clean the shark's teeth (wiping down the ladder back kitchen chairs).

I was once criticized for making my children work. I was told "children should not be the servants in a home...they should instead be given opportunities to be enriched - you should hire a maid". Well.... I have had a cleaning lady in the past because the fact is the kids don't do the best cleaning and I myself am unable to do it all. But I do believe in getting children to work. I was inspired by Merrilee Boyack and her ideas in this book. In addition was lucky to have a few personal consulting sessions with Marie Ricks - that was a great Christmas present!

So you all can have a good laugh imagining me, even bigger than I was here, scrubbing bathroom floors, changing bedding, and hauling all sorts of laundry around the house. My friend Marie' was right when she told me..."awaiting the arrival of a baby is a lot like selling your house, you always got to be ready and the house cannot get messy". Well at least keeping the house in order keeps me somewhat distracted.

Art Therapy

I am running out of projects to finish. I also admit that I am feeling big, immobile and a bit restless.

I started taking an art class in 2005 to help relieve some of the stress from our home remodel. It was great therapy for me. So I showed up at art class on Saturday after almost an 8 week break and not only was I able to enjoy the company of fellow classmates (ages 9-60) but I finally finished this watercolor painting. I started it in September but have been slow to finish since my only time to paint is at art class. Unlike sewing, it is very difficult for me to multi-task and take care of kids while immersed in an art project. Probably because it is messier and takes more of my brain capacity. When doing art I have to completely "check out" which is why I rarely have a chance to do it and also why I enjoy it so much.

I was once told "mothers with five young children should not be taking an art class". I think that is completely false! Some mothers like to go shopping, go to lunch, get their nails done, why shouldn't I go to an art class once a week? I think it is important to be recharged and have an outlet outside the home.

The picture I painted is from a photograph I took of William and Peter looking down at the fish pond at Red Butte Garden. Upon returning home I pulled out the kids unfinished foamcore paintings. They like using acrylic since the colors are vibrant and more fun to mix than kids' washable paints. Paul joined in to help James finish his squares and realized he had not painted since elementary school. So we all got to enjoy a little art therapy this weekend.

Master Schedule Board

Back to my practical self. This is a project I originally did with Mary when my life was a bit simpler with only three kids. It is now time for a new and improved schedule board. The creation of this system was inspired by the concepts in this book .

The background is just a plumbing sheet picked up at Home Depot. The little icons were designed on power point, printed out on cardstock, laminated and attatched by a small piece of magnetic tape. I will note it would have been wise to color code each individual but there was too much arguing amongst the boys as to who got which color. I'm confident it will still work and especially be helpful to those who take over when I finally do have the baby.

I still have half the plumbing sheet open to post up meal plans, job charts, and other useful info like weekly vocab words and individual goals.

The idea is to promote self initiative and eliminate dawdling and whining by the kids and nagging on my part. Some may argue that such a schedule may be stifling but I believe it gives us more freedom. The kids are content knowing what is expected and more likely to perform their tasks quickly knowing afterwards they will have free time. All in all being on a good routine makes us all more efficient and leaves more time to do what we really want to do.

I will not say that every day runs smoothly, especially with the combination of 2 very spirited girls too young to understand the concept. But it does help me establish order in a home that could easily turn to chaos. I will also add that since I have never had a real career it is fun to take my role as a mother and homemaker very seriously.

Still Waiting

Yes...I'm still waiting and I guess feeling a bit sorry for myself because after my appointment with the midwife I had to make a quick detour to the mall. I very ackwardly tried on boxes of shoes then couldn't resist this pair. Maybe these new shoes will give me the courage to show up at church on Sunday and once again face "when is the baby coming"?, "I thought you were suppose to have the baby weeks ago". Who knows, maybe the shoes will offer up enough distraction to avoid the baby subject all together.

Maybe if I wear them around the house (with the only pants that still comfortably fit me - my very old Old Navy Yoga Pants) I'll go into labor. Or maybe I should wear them on a bigger outing like to the zoo and I'd be sure to go into labor.

Either way this was a great little pick me up. Besides, it has been over a year since I last bought myself a pair of shoes and it is nice to feel pretty even if it is just my feet.

My Ant Farm

By William

I got an ant farm last Christmas. It said the ants would come in the mail. It tooks months for the ants to come. I felt surprised when we got them because I was waiting so long. The ants came with a feeding chart, an ant information poster, a magnifying glass, and an activity book. I learned little interesting facts about ants. I discovered my ants were red ants. That made me feel nervous about them climbing out. They are harvester ants and harvester ants love to dig. Harvester ants are dangerous because they can bite. I also read about army ants. Army ants are also dangerous because they could kill big animals like horses and rattle snakes. Peter was getting afraid because he never wants to see a colony of millions of army ants eating a rattle snake near our house. Last Sunday we watered the ants, they drank the water. I check on them everyday to make sure no ants are fighting each other. When I look at them they stop fighting and start digging holes. There is a button, we pressed it and the ant farm was glowing.

Farewell My Faithful Mini Van

By Peter

I was so sad when we sold our mini van. It felt kind of like if I had a really fun thing and somebody broke it. When the man picked up the mini van I was just crying. I wanted to keep it for James for when he is 16.

I love the mini-van because of the look. I put a Michigan sticker on the back and an elephant sticker on the back. We drove the mini van to lots of fun places like Yellowstone, Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Philadelphia, Michigan, North Carolina, Atlanta zoo, Costco, the Aquarium, Mapleton, St. George, church, 7-11, the playground, and the Dinosaur museum.

Now we have a new car so the baby could have a seat. I call it the beast because it is hard to climb up in. I like the spinners and DVD players.

4 more days to go....

maybe more but lets hope for less. I don't think I'll be posting any more sewing projects because as you can see I can barely fit behind my sewing machine. I can't remember if I have ever been this big before but I pretty much am doing all my tasks sideways and only have a few items of clothing that will keep this big bulge covered.

This week will be filled with long naps, and careful study of this book, an early baby gift that Paul gave me.

One last sewing project completed

Here is my slueth inspired diaper bag. I dumped everything out of my purse (50% of which was garbage and then tossed),measured each essential tool and drafted a pattern. The idea was to have a special spot for everything so it could easily be found without digging around the bottom as my diaper bag/purse has the tendency of becoming a black hole. The bag is divided with 1/3 its space for mom stuff and 2/3 for kids' stuff. The kid compartments include two sippy cup holders, pouch for wipes, pouch for snacks and a whole lot of open space for cloth diapers, wet bag, blankies, and even my cannon rebel. Mom compartments are much more specific and include a spot for 2 pens, small notebook, small measuring tape, tissues, sunglasses, and cell phone. There is also an interior zipper pocket for make up and exterior zipper pocket solely for keys. There is a larger letter size pocket that holds not only my wallet but books, magazines and any other papers I need to keep track of. It is all held in place by a cute little green snap.

I am happy with the size and organization but a bit disappointed with my fabric choice. I ordered a few Estsuko Furuya prints from purlsoho.com because they are fun prints and were advertised as home dec weight. They really aren't that heavy of fabrics and even after fusing on craftbond it does not hold its shape as I would have liked.

One more problem. My cell phone just rang and I couldn't find it....it wasn't in the handy pouch but I left it in my coat pocket. Its going to take some training to get use to this new system.

So this diaper bag is not quite a flop because I will get a lot of use out of it but there are definately some alterations I would make next time. Overall grade B/B-

Flops

Suz - this one is for you. If I had started blogging in 2006 every other post would have been labled a flop as I made so many mistakes contracting our home remodel. I am full of ideas and a lot of what I attempt does end up as a flop but that is no reason not to try. You actually can learn a lot more from your failures than success. Sometimes I rework them and it turns out better than what I originally anticipated. Sometimes I cry over them, stuff them in a bag and put them high on a shelf. Sometimes I just throw it away to get it out of site and out of mind then feel guilty about time and money wasted ( I guess that is your definintion of an "anti-project").

Pictured here are the unfinished Easter dresses sizes 2 & 3 in a beautiful drapey swiss twill. I started smocking them on our roadtrip early in the fall when I first started feeling morning sickness. I had to put them down. I picked them up again when I started feeling sick with the flu in Feb. I had to put them down. The thought of smocking just makes me feel sick now! Maybe I should sell my pleater on ebay - I just don't know if I'll ever be up for it again. The other is a sweater I started knitting while pregnant with Maryanna. I worked on it a little more while preganant with Clara. I worked on it a little more this pregnancy but just don't have the drive to finish it yet.

Not pictured but worth noting:
-Sourdough start that I couldn't keep alive after three atttempts - threw it away
-Sourdough loaf that turned into a brick - threw it away
-Dozen bagels I forgot to add yeast to - threw them away
-2 dozen bagels I forgot about and burned -threw them away
-rice pudding in the pressure cooker that I forgot to add half the milk - feed it to the kids anyways
-Undercooked Christmas turkey after accidently turning the oven off - put in back in the oven and we ate dessert first then turkey
-Maternity dress that was drafted while pregnant with Peter, cut it out during Maryanna's pregnancy, pieced it together during Clara's pregnancy, set the sleeves in this pregnancy and tried to put the zipper in but since it was on the bias it was way too stretched out over time - I saved the zipper but threw the rest away
-several dead house plants and planted flowers that did not survive my care or lack of care
-Occasional haircuts for Paul and the boys - they just lived with it but still trust me enough to do it.

So there it is Suz. Several of my now public flops. But you're right, it would be just as fun to start photographing and posting about them.

Nancy Drew Sleuth Bag

Emily is planning a really fun party for Caroline and her "chums" this weekend. Yesterday she came over and together we worked on designing and sewing this cool Nancy Drew Sleuthing bag as a surprise for Caroline's birthday. I actually haven't see the recent Nancy Drew movie but I read a few of the books when I was younger. This was not as mindless as the other recent projects I have completed but it was fun. I want to play with it now. It makes me want to go to the mystery birthday party! Maybe I'll just use the same concepts and make my own cool sleuth diaper bag.

Gum Drop Pillow

This was a really quick and fun project that anyone could do - here is the pattern. Although named "pillow" it is quite large and I would call it more of a footstool or ottoman. I made the 24" and used a fun print from IKEA. I got three boxes of 5lb. stuffing from Walmart (each about 8$) but only used a box and a half. I want to make the 18" one now, possibly tangerine colored to compliment the crayon box theme going on in our living room. Also these would be great piled up in the girls room as I can only imagine the fun they would have with them. I'm just undecided on what print to use.

Nesting turns to Sewing

I have challenged myself not to buy any clothes for the kids this Spring/Summer. Instead, I hope to rely on hand me downs and handmade clothes (from old clothes or fabric I already own). Despite the setbacks from being sick, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process so far.

I have posted all the projects I finished this past month. I honestly don't know how I got them all done because March was pretty much a blur with all the random health complications I experienced. But I think sewing is what got me through it. I couldn't exercise, cook, clean, or even drive but I could sit on my little wheeled stool infront of the sewing machine and then easily wheel across to my ironing board. The girls would toddle around me and sometimes even sit on my lap. The boys were quite cooperative with their school work and enjoyed a little extra free play during my afternoon sewing time. What I have not posted is all the crummy meals, cancelled outings and field trips, piled up laundry, and dirty dishes. I would also add that Paul has been terrific in helping me out through all my projects and recovery.

Now I'm 38 weeks and after all that rest there are no signs of contractions! I've got to get off my cushy sewing stool start scrubbing some bathrooms because now I'm ready for the this baby to come.

Hang Tag

With all the sewing I've been doing I think I need my own hang tag. I found a pile of this vintage trim in my mom's old sewing box so it will have to do for now.

Practical Playclothes

Here is a comfy knit outfit that suits the activity level of our little girl. I kind of winged each piece (drawing with a piece of chalk directly onto the fabric) and now I wish I would have drafted a pattern so I could replicate it. I picked the polk-a-dot knit up in Spain at this amazing fabric store but I also saw it at banberry place (I don't think I spent that much on it). The pants are from an old old navy T.

I love Marimekko!

With such a fun print there is little need for complicated construction. I ordered this print (and several others) from the fabric fairy. This is a great source for knits and fabrics from the following apparel companies: mad sky, icky baby, baby lulu, and sweet potatoes. The new items go quickly so I check the site frequently.

The pattern for this dress was from Ottobre but it seemed to be too wide. I even cut their 90cm size knowing they run big. The dress is simple enough that I should have just drafted my own. Still the fabric is fun so I am happy with the outcome. I used my new snap pressfor the back since I still have not mastered a knit neckline binding that doesn't pop its stitches. I am now saving up for a coverstitch machine.

Very Girly

I couldn't resist this linen and Liberty combination from Fashion Affair (my favorite fabric store here in UT). It was the fabric that inspired me to make this outfit. I drafted the blouse pattern myself - it is a rounded high yoke with a few gathers at center front and buttons up the back. The skirt is from this book. I will have to post a picture of Maryanna actually wearing it once I sew the buttons on. Right now there are just pins up the back and she is afraid of pins after getting poked a few times during all our fittings, I will say she has been a great sport.

Something extra for Clara

Clara is not exactly in need of any clothes this Spring/Summer. I just felt bad about not finishing the Easter dresses and wanted at least one matching sister set. The pattern for both the dress and shirt are from this book. She is a bit petite so the size 80cm fit her perfectly. The dress originally was designed for smocking but I opted for some quick pleats instead (I don't know if I'll ever do smocking again after all the work on the unfinished Easter dresses).

Bloomers and Blouse

These are two of the projects I cut out while on bedrest. The bloomers barely fit on the linen scraps from the previous outfits and the blouse is a light dotted swiss. Both the fabrics and flower shell buttons were purchased locally at Fashion Affair. I couldn't find the link to the bloomers pattern but the blouse pattern can be found in this book. It fit perfectly except the neck was a little tight - I ended up adding 1" for extra breathing and playing room. Otherwise I'd probably have to brib her to wear it.

Fun Summer Pants

Yuka's mom sent me the fabric and pattern book for these pants. They are a bit on the narrow side for Maryanna so next time I would add at least 1/2 inch for extra ease. I was able to use some of my Spanish lace for embellishment between each tier and for the back pockets and resisting the urge to make the perfect top to pair with them - an old HM t-shirt will have to do.

Knit play dress

The pattern for this dress came from this book-style P. The fabric was purchased last year when I joined the joy of sewing yahoo group. It is a co-op for buying discounted fabric from apparel manufactuers. This particular fabric is knit and the accent fabric is scraps from another old old navy T. I would not recommend using knit for this dress, I was just trying to use up what I had. Also I will note that it was rather wide and I ended up cutting down the shoulders, taking in the side seams, and shrinking the sleeves quite a bit. And once again opted for the quick use of the snap press instead of buttons.

Baby gear make over

Here are two projects I just got done for the newbaby. The first is a baby swing I got off craig's list - only 10$ but so nasty! I feel a lot better about it now after scrubbing down the frame with bleach and a toothbrush. I took apart the old cover and almost threw up in the process - it was not in good condition! I feel a lot more comfortable with the new cover I made. It almost looks like a new swing (except for the lost tray toys).

The second is a new cover for my Graco infant carseat. I orginally purchased the carseat in 2005 and chose the black and silver because it was the only non-gender style I could find. The problem with the cover was the fabric made the babies sweat really bad. So I carefully took it apart and drafted a pattern. I picked up this silver Micheal Miller print so it would match the canopy and save me some work. I was just quick to finish it because that would not be good if I went into labor with a car seat and two unfinished covers. The carseat is a Graco sung ride. I now have a pattern so if anyone wants a copy let me know. I saw some cute ones on etsy.com for up to 120$.

It was a BYU friend who inspired me on this project. You can check out all her cool projects here. Also check out her new business This is me journal..