Take Cover!

Nursing cover, that is. :) I actually managed to take pictures of the nursing cover I made for a friend before I delivered it to her... at the hospital! She got the fabric to me the end of the week, and then she went into labor Saturday night! On Sunday afternoon we got to go see the happy, healthy family and deliver the now-needed nursing cover. :)

My friend and her husband picked out the fabric--I love their choices. :) I have to admit, I sewed the top seam three times because I just wasn't happy with it! Her contrasting dark brown thread showed every little imperfection on the front as I tried to sew tightly next to the boning in the neckline. So I ripped out the seam after attempt #2, put a spool of light blue thread on as my top thread and left the bobbin of dark brown thread to go with the underneath fabric. PERFECT! MUCH better. :)

front fabric

back fabric

I even matched up the stripes! :)

Oops...

I did it again. ;) TWO more times!! I have sewn gifts for two MORE baby showers, and I have forgotten to take pictures each time! Arg!

For the first of the two, the mom is an UGA fan and dad is a FL fan. I made two UGA burp cloths for Mom (one with a paw print and red/black & white polka-dot ribbon and one with the UGA "G") and one gator burp cloth for Dad (a gator with baby Dinah's name above it). I also gave them a onesie I sewed that said "cute as a " with a sweet little flower button after the words.

For today's shower, I had EVERY intention of remembering to take pictures this time. Then it took a lot longer to sew them than I thought and I was running late. :-( In my frazzled state, I forgot to take pictures and forgot the gps (what did we do before gps.... google maps... and before that.... regular maps... how far we've come!) to find my way to the shower. Thankfully, I called Matt from my cell phone (more gadgets!) and he looked up the address on google maps, directing me where to turn. :) hehe Anyway, I made one burp cloth for baby Caleb with a lion that said "wild thing" above it, one that just had a fun polka-dot print down the center with red ribbon on either side, and one with FL gator ribbon up either side of the center with Caleb's monogram in the middle in orange and blue. :) I also made them a gator ribbon paci-clip.

I have one more shower I am sewing for, so maybe that one I will actually take pictures of and post them! Wouldn't that be amazing?? :)

We are doing well otherwise. :) Hubby is busy at work, and I am busy at work (but so glad FCAT is over!). Spring break is coming, which we are both very excited about! WOO HOO! Then we'll be back for a week, then Hubs' sister is getting married so we'll be road tripping again. Then I'll have just TWO weeks left at work before I begin my leave. It's shocking how fast it's passing.

Stay tuned--hopefully I'll have some more crafty pictures to post soon. Dinah's mom (see above) is due ANY day now and requested a nursing cover. I'll try really hard to remember to take a picture of it before I take it to her! :)

Blessings,
Becca

2 Blocks Down....

??? to go!

I have now sewn 2 blocks for Asa's wonky log cabin quilt. I honestly haven't decided how many blocks I'll make/what the quilt's final size will be. I'm just kind of taking it in as I go along. :) When Mom was visiting to help us with the nursery, she and I found some great blue cotton that really makes the blue in the quilting fabrics pop. I'm thinking I may make the quilt 4 blocks x 5 blocks. Maybe 4x4... we'll just have to see. It's been nice, now that I have the hang of it, to know I can just sit down at the machine and whip out a block in a decent amount of time. :)

Without further ado, here are the 2 blocks I have made so far...

The first block I made

The second block I made

Both blocks together

Update!

It's been awhile--whew! Since my last post, we have a nursery most definitely underway. :) I'm going to sew curtains--and they are not cut or sewn yet, BUT we have the fabric for them. :) But other than that, the room has a LOT done thanks in large part to my husband and my mom (who came down for a weekend with the furniture and to help!). :)

The biggest job was painting the room! 50 stripes in all spread across 3 walls. Matt did an AMAZING job!

There will be curtains, as I said, :) and a little table and rocking chair here at the end of the crib.

Close up of the crib. The bedding is called "Enchanted Hollow" and has forest animals--exactly what we were looking for! :)

Again, we'll have curtains. :) And I'm painting a (simple) tree mural behind the raccoon bean bag

Other side of the room

Everything is still somewhat of a work in progress, as far as things hanging on walls go (I think Matt probably appreciates me not putting any holes in the wall right now after he worked so hard to paint them! ha! :) ) and organizing the bookshelf. But it's come a LONG way!

Lastly, I've been going through and doing Asa's laundry. The question is just how to organize it! :) I'm sure I'll end up tweaking things after he's here and I figure out what works for us. But so far I have onesies (in the the size he'll probably be wearing), gowns, sleepers, sleep sacks, and swaddle-mes in the top drawer of the changing table for easy access.

The middle drawer has socks, hats, mittens, etc. (and extra room beyond that, of course). The bottom drawer has crib and pack n play sheets.

Then in the armoire (I guess I didn't post a picture with it, but it's next to the raccoon bean bag), I have blankets in the top drawer. It has another drawer and 3 shelves in the cupboard part of it "up for grabs." And then we have the closet. :) Right now, I have things organized by size then then by type of clothing within that size group (onesies, shirt/pant outfits, long-sleeved things, etc.).

Does anyone have any great tips for organizing?!? Any wonderful way they stored things? And is there some magic "perfect" way to fold a onesie? :)

Quilt Block #1

I have not been able to go by JoAnn's and pick the sashing fabric yet, but I wanted to show you my first block for the wonky log cabin quilt! Here it is! After I add one more strip to each side for sashing, I'll be able to square it up. Then after I have more blocks, I can sew them together for Asa's quilt top! I don't imagine it will be enormous, but I am having fun. And I really think it's the perfect quilt for a beginner, as it's not designed to be even and straight! Ha! :)

Ooops!

What's the oops? Well, I made a couple burp cloths yesterday for a baby shower today, and it was so late by the time I was done that I did not take pictures! OOPS! :)

I made 3 all together. One had the same blue car and truck flannel as the car burp cloth I made Asa. But it just had flannel sewn down the center and no embroidery. I did zigzag the flannel onto the cloth diaper to make it a little more special though. :) It was fun to experiment with some decorative stitches before deciding on one. :) For the other 2, I embroidered. The baby's father sometimes plays bass guitar for worship on Sundays, so I embroidered a bass guitar and above that put the words, "My dad rocks!" And for the third, I sewed a strip of white flannel with blue, yellow, and green polka dots that had the family's last name embroidered on it. I had a BIG capital D and then in the space inside the D I embroidered "avis" (their last name is Davis). Baby D does not have a first name yet, so I figured I'd go with the last name. :)

Sorry I don't have pictures to show! I'll try to remember next time. For now, we're hoping to make this "take apart spare furniture and Kilz the nursery" day!!!! :) Stay tuned!

P.S. I have begun Asa's wonky log cabin quilt! I have one block done but need to buy some (solid) fabric for the sashing so I can square it up. I can't wait to show you--and to see how it looks when I have more blocks put together! I love the forgiving nature of the wonky-ness. :)

Asa's Baby Shower

My sister (in-law), Joy, and my mom's sweet friend, Jane, hosted a baby shower for Asa on Valentine's Day. It was SUCH a sweet time, and we are overwhelmed by the love and support of such special family and friends. BOTH of my grandmothers were at the shower (one lives in California, so that was specially planned), and the guest list was like revisiting our wedding--all amazing friends from church or our wedding party! I thought I would share with you a sampling of the shower and some of the things Asa received--focusing especially on handmade gifts. :)

A tissue box cover and diaper changing station my dad's mom made

A blanket my mom's mom stitched by hand

A floor blanket (extra thick) and some fitted sheets my mom's mom made

Some receiving blankets my mom's mom sewed

A quilt my mom's sister sewed (and a Precious Moments doll)

A bib and burp cloth my dad's sister sewed (and 2 wrist rattles)

As it was Valentine's Day, guests were invited to make Valentines for Asa at the shower :)

We received Asa's forest animal bedding AND found fabric to make coordinating curtains (be watching for future posts)

And last but certainly not least, Joy outdid herself! In addition to the scrumptious food, invitations, and even centerpiece, she sewed up a storm for Asa!
Here are a blanket and one burp cloth (for Daddy and Asa)

She also made this little camo hat and a pair of camo pants for Daddy, I mean Asa ;)

For Mommy and Asa, she sewed these awesome ducky kimono pjs (the pants are tucked inside on the hanger) and a matching ducky burp cloth!

Can't you just FEEL the love???? :) Thank you to everyone for making this such a special time! Joy and Jane (and Kathy who made the yummy chicken salad sandwiches), thank you especially! We love you! :)

Quick Update--Gymboree sale!

We were given our first shower for Asa this weekend, which I will post about VERY soon. But I have a quick little additional post to write, and I want the shower post to be "on top." So I'm going to do this one first, and then I'll add the shower pictures. :)

Gymboree is having a baby/President's Day sale. Lots of wintery things were marked 50% off, and then you could take 20% more off for President's Day. On top of that, I had a 20% off total purchase including sale items coupon that came in the mail. I got 5 outfits for an average of $8 each! The total should have been $170 dollars, and I paid $40! I tried to look for or piece together complete outfits, because I know Gymoree stuff does really well at consignment sales. But I did get some overalls, too. :) I got overalls that were solid colors though, so they're not limited to going with clothes of a certain "theme."

Without further ado...

Reversible jacket and pants, 5.75 and 5.11

Dalmatian onesie and applique jeans, 3.19 and 5.75

"I drool" outfit, 6.39

Red corduroy overalls (they have a dalmatian you can detach in the pocket), 6.71

Chocolate brown corduroy overalls, 10.87

When You're sick....

...just sew (and sleep)!

As I continue recovering from the crud Matt gave me :), I've sewn a few more burp cloths for Asa. I'm hoping to branch out to other parts of my "to sew for baby" list soon. But I want to be well and thinking clearly before I venture forth! :)

Here are 2 more:

A flannel applique "A" for Asa and a fun, textured car!

The A was a free trial file a site had to try to convince you to buy the file for the whole alphabet. It didn't actually finish the inside of the A correctly, which was disappointing. But I don't think Asa will care. ;) I LOVE applique, so I found a different website to try for an applique alphabet (unless someone has a suggestion). I like how the fabric colors (Matt picked) Matt our little Snoodle dog!

A close-up of the car. Also a free file--so see, they can work perfectly! I LOVE how it embroidered a texture--see the swirls? It's all one color, just the pattern of the stitches! I thought it was really cute with the car & truck fabric. :)

A Little Bit of Crafting

I stayed home to take care of my sick husband one day earlier this week... and now that has landed me home for a sick day myself! Despite living as separately as possible in the house this week, I caught his bug. Anyway, on Tuesday I spent a lot of my time in the back of the house making embroidery designs (while he dozed in the front of the house). I only finished sewing one so far, but I wanted to share it with you! And there are plenty more ideas brewing where this came from.

In case you didn't know, you will very soon find out that I am a BIG fan of puns and other silly phrases. :)

stud muffin

Just how many silly burp cloths can a baby boy have? We might soon find out! :) Actually, I'd like to put some designs on some bibs and maybe even onesies, too (they just take so much prep for all their knitted stretchiness!). I'll try to do some more and post them soon! :)

Until then, stay far, far away from our house so you don't get sick! :)

JCaroline Finds

Here's the fabric I ordered from JCaroline's recent sale (thanks for the heads up, Joy).

The fabric on the far left just might become a nursing cover. The next is a jungle animal print in yellow silhouettes that I'm still deciding what to do with. :) I loved the bright flowers next to the jungle friends, and lastly are some birds from the Park Slope collection. I can't wait to see what they become! :)

A few pics of Asa

Here are a couple stills that were captured during the ultrasound...

Asa's profile

He's waving to you! :)

Baby K is a......

Shout HOORAY!!!

and give a TWIRL!!

cause Matt and Becca are having a.....
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BOY!!!!!!

We are THRILLED (especially Matt, because he was right all along, whereas I wasn't sure at first, then thought it was a boy, then had girl dreams at the end) to announce that we have a SON!! His name is Asa Owens. Asa comes from King Asa in the Old Testament. He is recorded in 1 Kings 15 as doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord and loving God with his whole heart all his days. His middle name is Owens, after my paternal grandfather's middle name. My grandfather is very much a man who finished well in serving the Lord. We wanted to name our son after men who have set a tremendous example of honoring God from the beginning to the end.

Everything looked great on the ultrasound, though he would not turn his spine out for as clear of a shot as they would like. So, we will have a follow up ultrasound at our next appointment in February. They are not concerned, they just want to gather all the info they can.

He withheld no modesty, so the tech was quite sure we have a son. I will work on getting pictures scanned as soon as I can! Praise the Lord for a great report and even finding out we have a SON!

Nursery Progress

While I wait to, hopefully, find out if Baby K is a boy or a girl (TOMORROW) and therefore wait for the pink or blue creative juices to begin flowing, I've been working on the nursery instead. Yesterday, Matt and I cleaned it out top to bottom (except for the closet). We had piled everything in it at the center of the room in order to move furniture for stripping the wallpaper border previous owners left. It was, shall we say, interesting. But we pulled everything into our room across the hall, sorted, and then only put baby stuff back in. Other things are in a pile to donate, put in the attic/garage, or were relocated to different locations. It was quite an undertaking, but it's very exciting to see the room becoming more and more ready for the baby! The closet will have to be for another day, but it's basically big odds and ends that we have already decided on different places for (our luggage, some old instruments, and a filing cabinet that will be relocated). I am ITCHING to clean out more places around the house, but I know I need to take it easy, too. So I'm trying to pace myself. :)

I thought I'd share a few pictures. Granted, we haven't painted the walls or taken out the furniture that will be leaving the room, but at least you can see some of the progress we made!

We loved this giant dog! We plan to take a picture of the baby with it each month to show the baby's growth. :) And does my mom know us well or what--before we ever saw the big dog, she got the little rattle that matches as a Christmas gift for Baby K! :) I also like that the dog matches that duvet cover--we plan to use it when the baby (down the road) is ready for a big bed. :)

Drawers in the armoire. For now the bottom drawer has some kid movies and the top drawer has some odds and ends (including Eric Carle ornaments I found at TJ Maxx!).

Top of the armoire--currently housing some toys, baby meds, gifts, and freebies I got in the mail.

The current view from the doorway. The armoire is staying about where it is. Under the window you see in this pic will be the changing table/dresser. And in the corner will probably be a rocking chair.

Other side from the door way. In the corner where you see the carseat, stroller, and other baby stuff will be the crib. The twin bed, its headboard, and this "entertainment center" are being taken apart and stored in the attic. Please forgive the boxes in the bottom right of the pic--they are trash ready to be thrown out!


A birdie clock I've had that I think I want to put up in the nursery.


We do live in Florida now, after all (this was actually a stocking stuffer one year). The teeth "chomp" when you roll the gator.


And finally, will it be PINK or BLUE??? (frames I got a few years ago at the Bombay Kids Outlet store). We can't wait to hopefully find out TOMORROW! Our appointment is in the late afternoon, but come back tomorrow night to see what we find out! :)

The Latest

Thanks for the prod to update, Ruthie. I've clicked on my blog page a couple of times, but I've often been too tired to know what to think!

Then I read that I last posted we would have our ultrasound in 28 days.... we now have less than a week to wait! So, yes, an update is long overdue. :)

We had a wonderful Christmas with both of our families. We left the week of Christmas for South Carolina to see Matt's family, including our 4 month old niece. It was really sweet to be there for her first Christmas. :) Matt got to go hunting one morning with his dad, although it rained the entire time. They really enjoyed laughing and joking around like old times since the rain meant they didn't have to worry about being too quiet--the wildest wildlife they saw was a squirrel. :) We got to visit with Tyson and some other friends as well. It's always fun to see them and get further glimpses into the 20+ years of Matt before I ever knew him. :)

The Sunday after Christmas we packed up and drove to TN to spend the next week with my family. One brother's family stayed in town and the other got back before we left, so it was really nice to see *everyone.* We had been on a kind of opposite schedule with my one brother's family as far as staying in TN/traveling for Christmas. We both traveled to in-laws' homes for Christmas but were back for New Year's. I'm really glad that worked out. :) I also got to have lunch with friends from my first college Bible study, catch up with friends from my college program, play some Catan (I won!!!) and Ticket to Ride, and finally get to see my sweet friend (who was a bridesmaid in our wedding) who is expecting exactly 2 weeks after we are. :) Most of all, I SOAKED up family time! Some of the family even came with us to Babies R Us to help us begin our baby registry. It doesn't have any gender-specific items on it yet, but we gladly took their advice on the big/gender-neutral stuff! How amazing to have a baby registry?!?

We got back to FL January 2nd. We had the weekend to unpack and settle back in before heading back to work. And since then, we've been settling back into work! :) My class is doing really well. I am really enjoying them (how could I not??), and I even got the "other" big talk out of the way with my principals, letting them know I won't be back next year and will take about the last month of school off this year. My due date is one day after school gets out--even though I think they planned for me to teach to the very end because of that, we did not plan for that. ;) They "handled" the news well. Their only request was that I share the news of me not returning with the parents in my class who have siblings coming up next year and are already asking the administration how early they can request me for next year. I got that done, too, and received a very sweet and thoughtful reply. It's SUCH a blessing to have such supportive parents of my students!

We have been at work some around the house. The wallpaper border backing that previously "graced" the nursery walls is now gone (thanks, honey!). I've started some cleaning out and organizing. And I am enjoying some new things. I received a bread maker for Christmas, and I am really excited to be using it! If you have some great bread maker recipes--bread, dough, etc.--I would LOVE to know about them!!

Baby K is kicking away. Last week the fequency and force of kicking increased a TON. Get this.... Matt even felt the baby kick!! I was only 18 weeks! His eyes got HUGE and he grinned from ear to ear. :) He talks to the baby frequently, as do my students. :) In fact, today they were rather excited about paper lanterns they were making, and as the volume of their little voices got a little louder than usual, the baby started kicking like crazy. :) It was fun to tell them, "The baby can hear you! Baby K is listening!" They they all apologized to the baby for being too loud! :) They are SUCH a sweet class, and they are DESPERATE to know if the baby is a boy or a girl. :)

Well, I suppose that is about all for now. I have been so depleted of energy, I have not been a good crafter. I finally decided I need to figure out how to make do without my energy (everyone said it would be back by week 16... it must have gone south for the winter), so maybe I'll get back in gear. :) I know I have sewing I want to do if/after we find out just who this little one is on Monday! I will be sure to update then, so check back next week for, Lord willing, the big announcement! Most of all though, we're praying for a healthy baby. :)

Blessings,
Becca