December 29, 2011
I can’t even begin to count the number of times this year I’ve mumbled, “this is the worst year of my life.”
Grandpa died in June. There are still times I forget he’s gone and expect to see him walk through the door and hug me tight. It’s been six months already, but there are plenty of quiet moments when my mind drifts to him and I’m overwhelmed by tears.
We had major (read: expensive!) car repair work done 4 times between January and August. Just when we were sure it would run like new for years, a drunk driver totaled it and took away our family car, leaving us to pile 3 kids into a teeny sedan.
We had plenty of money and health woes, too. Nothing major, but it’s been one thing after another non-stop this entire year. Things had finally settled, we decided on a van to buy and as we were getting our ducks in a row, we got a letter in the mail on December 9th that the house we’ve been renting for nearly 2 years is going into foreclosure and is being auctioned on the county courthouse steps Jan 3rd. Merry Christmas. So now we’re rushing around trying to buy our first house and it’s just not exactly ideal.
I’ve had so much going on in my personal life I kind of checked out on my blog. I’ve been sewing, but mostly for gifts and family and things that aren’t especially blog fodder. I’ve just felt completely overwhelmed by everything we’re dealing with, compounded by Christmas, and who cares about blogging, right?
So while I was off licking my wounds, I was learning more about the year other people have been having. There’s something so humbling about a huge reality check on life, isn’t there? Sure, we had to have the car fixed, but we had the money to do it. We survived the accident with barely any physical signs. This isn’t our house we’re losing, and in fact, we’re in a position to buy right now. We’ve never had to worry about having a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs or food on our table. Life might not have been smooth this year, but while we mourn and grieve for the loss of my Grandpa, we’re rejoicing in the healthy, beautiful baby girl we welcomed. How lucky are we?
I’m not sad to see 2011 end. It HAS been rough. I’ve prayed hard, cried harder, and laughed until my sides hurt. I’ve grown to cherish life even more, and learned a hard lesson about how you can’t plan for the unexpected. I’m ready for 2012 and all the amazing things it has to offer. I’ve got some things to blog about in the coming weeks, but I assume with the (hopefully!) house buying, packing and moving, I might not be posting much in the way of crafting. I hope you’ll keep coming back, though, as I can’t stay away for long!
So enjoy some pictures of the three greatest blessings in my life enjoying the Christmas holidays! Happy New Year!
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December 13, 2011
For years I’ve been putting “tags” in the clothes I make. They’re nothing special, literally just loops of ribbon that tell the wearer (or the parent dressing them) which is the back side of the garment.
But I’ve wanted labels. I’ve researched, planned, and hunted everywhere for them, but nothing I found really pleased me. I don’t want to buy 500 labels at once. What if I change my mind? I also didn’t like the idea of not really knowing what they’d look like and feel like until I had them in my hand. So when I ran across this tutorial on Pinterest recently (find me here), I was stoked.
The idea is about all I took from the tutorial, though. I figured out a decently easy way to make these in Microsoft Word and went at it. I’m thrilled with the outcome!
The best part about making my own labels is that they’re DIRT CHEAP. Like 4 cents each!
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December 11, 2011
It always surprises me the little ways my girls are just like me. Sofie’s always cold in the car and prefers to be snuggled under a blanket. I turned her car seat around to face forward a few months ago and since then she’s been having a hard time keeping the blanket in her lap. So I decided as the days were getting colder and she actually needed to have a blanket in the car, I was going to make her one that would stay attached to her car seat.
She is in heaven!
I didn’t want to interfere with the clips, since safety is the most important, so I designed the blanket to attach to the seat through 2 big button holes I made to go around the lower clasp.
Since it doesn’t fall out of her seat, she can either snuggle it up around her, let it fold in half over her legs, or she can put it entirely under her legs and not be covered with it at all.
I also thought ahead and made it long enough to cover her legs, but short enough that it couldn’t get dirty from her shoes. This makes it the perfect size to go from the car seat to the stroller!
The blanket can stay attached to the seat when they’re not in it, so you’re sure never to lose it.
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December 5, 2011
Two years ago I knew I wanted to make our family Christmas stockings. My Mom and I were out shopping at fabric stores and I fell in love with this fabric, but it wasn’t until last year that I finally got them made. I went ahead and made 5 stockings even though we didn’t have a third baby yet (I guess my subconscious knew she’d be coming soon!).
A friend of mine loved them and asked me to make a set for her kids. We’ve been planning them since March, I swear, and I was finally able to get them done last week. I really love how they came out and I’m seriously considering making more for us!
I appliqued each child’s initial to the cuff of the stocking with plain black fabric.
They just make everything more festive!
(I’m also making a tree skirt, so stay tuned for that!)
And because of the way they’re designed, when they’re stuffed for Christmas morning, you can stand the cuff up to make them a little taller to accommodate all the stocking goodies!
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November 24, 2011
I can’t believe it’s been nearly 2 weeks since I last posted! Things have been outrageously busy around here lately. I’ve made and mailed several orders, spent all last week making Thanksgiving outfits for my girls, and this week has been all about grocery shopping and baking.
But on this fantastic holiday, I really am grateful for all the wonderful blessings in my life.
-My husband and how incredibly hard he works for us.
-That I’m able to have my dream job and stay at home with our girls.
-My amazing family and their never-ending support.
-The roof over our heads, the food on our table, and, of course, our health.
-This blog and all the doors it has opened for me just by following my passion.
But mostly? I’m thankful for these gorgeous little people. Only in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be the lucky Mom to three beautiful girls.
And what better way to celebrate than with new outfits! They each got ruffle pants with a different top so they coordinate instead of match.
I can’t get over how big Ella’s getting! She’s almost 9 weeks old.
Her shirt was just a fussy cut pumpkin from the fabric I used for the other 2 that I appliqued to a onesie.
And I recently learned how to do a rolled hem on my serger. I’m in love!
Chloe’s outfit was a saved mistake. Originally I was making her top to match Sofie’s, but I cut it the wrong size (as a result of sewing at 2am) and had to improvise. But she’s so adorable, who cares?!
She is overflowing with personality!
For Sofie I wanted to add some pant fabric to her top to tie them together. With a little creative math I was able to make this contrast casing for the elastic that adds the perfect touch.
From our family to yours, have a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope your day is full of love, laughter, yummy food, and way more smiles than tears!
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