Upcountry Views

Kitty Party 2011

2011-11-12T17:46:00.002-10:00

It is all a sad dream now but at the time it was all so very magical. I thought about even the smallest details and executed every whim of my soon-to-be five-year-old.
When I asked her what one did at a Kitty Party she said: Paint faces like a kitty, play a game with yarn, play a Kitty Kitty Doggy game, eat cupcakes out of dishes like a cat and crawl around in kitty houses.

If you are wondering how to throw a kitty party, here it is:

1. Use vintage invites from a summer yard sale and do your best to copy an illustration from 'Millions of Cats' on the envelope.

2. Prepare the goody bags. Gather random small trinkets and roll them up into a ball of yarn. Include kitty buttons and washable markers to use on wash and write kitties.

Inside the yarn: a bell, a ball, a sparkly ring, tiny stickers, a mint, and a nickel.

3. Sew 6 white stuffed kitties.

4. Have your super talented and ever generous neighbor hand paint a sign. Lily still has it in her room. Notice the eye color (like Lily's) and the kitty color(sniff).

5. Hang pennant banner and draw kitty prints leading to the door.

6. Have same talented/generous neighbor stay up waaaaay too late constructing a kitty city out of cardboard. Include residences, town hall, school and other important town amenities. Hand paint city.

7. Display poster from preschool.

8. Hire 14 year old to play the part of 'vet' and give darling and totally hammed-up check up to newly decorated kitties. (I have been told this is very much like Build-a-Bear but since I have never been to B-A-B or heard what they do there, I am still taking credit for this part) Eliza did so great. The kids loved holding their kitty's paw during the shots, picking out a sparkly bandaid (sticker) and giving medicine (m&m's) as well as getting their very own adoption papers signed by a vet.

9. Have previously mentioned hired help string 6 pieces of yarn throughout house for kitties to follow to a treasure. (8b should be paint faces of party-goers to transform them into purrfect meowers)

10. Take treasure (kitty dishes full of stickers) to table to decorate while Birthday Kitty opens gifts (no kid wants to sit and watch another one open gifts)

10b. Let little kittens help.

11. Have a kitty race. 11b. (not pictured): Play Kitty, Kitty, Dog (Duck Duck, you get it)

12. Eat cupcakes out of newly decorated dishes.

13. Move into the Kitty City.

14. Have Daddy bring down a special surprise real pet kitty. Name kitty Willow. Be speachless. Love your life. For three whole days. Man, we are still all so traumatized by the loss of our little kitty. It is embarrassing how sad I still feel about it.

15. Have the happiest little feline in the world.

Not pictured: Reading a kitty story, setting up Willow's pad, weeks of playing in the Kitty City, 3 of the houses crushed and loved to death and covered in snow in my backyard.

Was this party expensive? NO. Did it take a lot of prep time? YES.

Everyone's question: Are we getting her a new cat?
Not immediately. She hasn't asked for one. We are letting her figure out her grief and give it time to heal. She still talks about Willow everyday. She prays that Willow and Orangey will be doing well in heaven. . .everyday. She names herself Willow on Halloween (kitty costume) compares every cat she sees to her late friend. She doesn't cry, though. She is at peace with it but it is still very much on her mind. My good friend brought over a beautiful book "Cat Heaven" by Cynthia Rylant for Lily who has it memorized now. It was a godsend.

Holes

2011-10-10T15:07:00.000-10:00

Today I dug a hole. I don't use a shovel very often. Not to say that I don't work hard. I do. Or, at least, I feel like I do. But I don't often build, move earth or otherwise have reason to wield large tools regularly. That fact became clear the moment I lifted the handle. The old, sun-bleached wood mocked me like an old horse mocks a new rider. "You don't really know how to use me do you?" it seemed to say. I thought instantly of the last time I had used a shovel. Early in the spring I got a wild hare and decided to dig up a portion of my front lawn (the only part of my lawn not drenched in plant-killing shade) and the shovel mocked me then, too. All day long it laughed at my tender palms as I painstakingly ripped out sod to replace with herbs, tomatoes and few flowers. Somehow, though, today's hole seemed harder to dig. I could blame it on the ivy or the tree roots I chose to dig around, but I know that isn't it. The fact is, the hole I dug today although only about 3 feet deep and 1 foot wide had to hold a portion of my daughter's heart, one of immeasurable depth.
Today Willow, Lily's new kitten, her birthday kitten, the kitten we got 3 days ago, died. She just laid down and didn't get up. I tried feeding her with a dropper. We tried cuddling her. She would not get up. And then, a couple hours later, she was gone.
So, I dug a hole. We picked flowers. She drew pictures. We both cried. And I filled the hole.
Lily is still empty. Two years is a long time to wait for only two days with a kitty. I have a feeling she will be walking to the back of the yard and sitting near that filled hole several times in the next week. Slowly the hole in her heart will heal. Kids are strong, and she is strong. I know that as a mother, this is only the beginning of watching my daughter's heart break. She will be hurt many times and every time I will dig a hole. Every time I will try to something to help her heal. Something tells me that the kind of digging mothers do don't build up calluses. I bet it hurts just as bad each time. The holes, I expect, get bigger with age.
Poor Lily.

Clarification

2011-10-07T23:05:00.000-10:00

Our new kitty did not run away.

When thinking of getting Lily a kitten for her birthday I was on the fence. I knew that the main reason I wanted to was for a big 'Ta Da!' moment at the party. I thought it was likely I would regret the decision a week or so later.

I was wrong.

I regretted it 5 minutes later.

The 'run away' lesson was mostly a joke between Chris and I so we could have an 'out' from the cat.

But, we really aren't that mean. And I really don't regret the cat. . .too much. Of course I am typing this at 3:00 am because I have a kitty who wants to sleep on my throat.

Lily is over the moon and that makes it worth it. Am I feeling the need to compensate all the attention Noli demands of me by getting my 5 year old a kitten? Yeah. But if you listened to her talk about our cat that died everyday for the past 2 years. . .you might break down too. It was pretty cute to watch Lily color her new kitty paper with little Willow sleeping on a pillow next to her.

Caring for a Cat

2011-10-07T15:17:00.001-10:00

Kitty Party 2011 was a huge success. I will post details about the party later. Maybe. For now, we are working on teaching Lily the rules of caring for her birthday present. . .an 8 week old kitten. The top five rules we have given her:

5. Don't squeeze too hard.

4. Empty the litter box only when Noli is asleep. Noli must never know of this pile of sand.

3. No screaming.

2. Kitties sleep a lot so they need not be carried, coddled, cushioned, caressed or dressed 24 hours a day.

And the number one rule we introduced to Lily today:

1. Kitties sometimes run away.

I Once Had a Cat That Was Orange

2011-08-09T14:55:00.000-10:00

by Lily

I once had a cat that was orange. It was a good cat and a bad cat. It was very very nice and I loved it. Orangey was good and very very nice. I loved it more than anything and it was very very very good. I love the cat.
My cat is now writing on paper with his claws. He was a very good eater. He liked his treats and just a minute let me think. . .and if he did not find a treat I throwed he will just look at me and I will just throw him another one and he will eat it. Orangey sang to cats. Now that's a good cat. I miss my cat. He was not a good hunter. Pedro was his mom. She was a good hunter. She once caught a cricket. Orangey died on October when I turned 3. I would like to have a new cat. I think it will be the same cat as Pedro but a kitten. I think it will be so cute. I think one is so cute that I saw. I am very good. I will name my kitty Black-Orange and that is the end of my story.
by Lilikoi Clara Nilsson
The End

Now

2011-06-18T16:19:00.001-10:00

Oh what a difference a year makes. Now you sleep, nap, even! Now you walk and sometimes try to run. Now you snuggle your face on my shoulder. Now you look for your sister everywhere. Now you have a special squeal you use only when you see an animal. Now you think raisens are great and salad is less great. Now you can kiss.
Now is good. Now you are one.

But forever you mine. My sweet, Magnolia girl.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl.

Humor

2011-06-03T17:52:00.000-10:00

Kids are funny.

Lily: You know why we have to wait until we are eight years old to be baptized?
Chris: Why?
Lily: Because, we would be waaaay to short! I would totally be drownded in that thing! I learned that in primary.

Except when they try to be.

Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Uh. . .to get the other si. .
Nope.
I give up.
Keep guessing. You have to guess more! (the excitement has induced uncontrollable jumping)
Uh. . .to see his friend.
Nope! (we are reaching Christmas-esque levels of anticipation)
To go to school?
NOPE! (I think she stopped breathing for a second. . .)
I really give up, why did the chicken cross the road?
To see if he could go over there by the other chickens and talk to them and then go to the store and then something else and then aren't you so glad I didn't say 'banana'?
Of course.

The Quick Cricket Preschool Presents. . .

2011-05-16T09:18:00.000-10:00

I have big ideas. I like complicated plans. I make things hard. These are not entirely bad qualities. Unfortunately, I am also NOT a perfection and thus my grand schemes are often poorly executed. This time, though. . .this time. . .things (I hope) will be different.

I have started a new blog for my preschool. And, yes, my idea was bigger than my ability to complete it but I have put a few things up. One thing I do plan to post about is our epic end of the year program including our theatrical production of the classic children's book The Giant Jam Sandwich. Tomorrow. 3:30 pm. Bountiful Library. Basement. Come one! Come all!

I am only suffering from a mild case of anxiety about tomorrow. And, I have prepared enough that I think I might actually be able to get some sleep tonight.

We'll see. I am blogging right now rather than getting ready, so, maybe not.

Stay tuned over at thequickcricket.blogspot.com to see how it all turned out.

Brown Eyes

2011-04-02T16:00:00.000-10:00

It is a good thing you have those brown eyes, Noli. Those deep, brown, chesnut eyes are your life insurance. They keep you alive. Even after you have been up 8 times in a night, or screamed all day, or drawn blood from my neck from your razor sharp nails, those eyes remind me how much I love you. When you look through your sisters baby books (yes, plural) and thumb through the many, many baby pictures of her and look at me with those beautiful brown eyes and ask "Where are mine?" I will have to just put your little chubby hand on my heart and say "right here". It is not that I loved you any less or cared any less or forgot. It is that I was just too tired. I was keeping you alive. I was surviving. I couldn't take a lot of pictures because I could barely keep my teeth brushed let alone find the camera or download pictures. I couldn't fill in little cute things you did every single day because I could barely get the laundry clean and even then it mostly sat on my closet floor, not so much folded in the drawers. I couldn't record every milestone because I still had your sister to entertain and a preschool class to plan and church calling to fulfill. It isn't that I didn't want to. It is just that I couldn't. But I still love you. Oh how I love you. I need only to look into those (mostly watering from tears) big, brown eyes to remember how much I love you.
Here are a few milestones to remember while I have a few minutes while you are in bed. I am sure I will get to see those brown eyes again in an hour or so, but until then, here are a few things I remember from the last few months.

You are now 9 and 1/2 months old.
Over the past 9 months your AVERAGE wakes during the night were 5-6.
You have slept through the night one time. It was last week. I woke up 4 times.
You got your first tooth at 7 and 1/2 months. You are a pretty crabby baby. When you teeth, you are terrible. You are teething now. I still love you.
You got your second tooth at 9 months.
You crawled at 8 months.
You stood up at 8 and 1/2 months.
You can now walk around furniture and sit down from standing.
You can say mama, dada, baba, buhbuh. Lily is done waiting for you to say her name and has decided that when you say baba that means sister and when you say buhbuh that means Lily. I think she is right.
You had your first infection last week. You are still a little sick. I got it. I am still very sick. I still love you.
You are in the 85th percentile for height and 65th for weight. You have slimmed down a bit since becomming mobile. Doctor said that is normal and good.
You have a red birth mark at the back of your neck. It gets brighter when you get mad. It is bright a lot. I still love you.
You are busy. You are destructive. You are smart. You are cute, chubby and kissable. I love your smile so much and your laugh even more. I wish I saw your smile more last week but I know you didn't feel well. I wish you never had to be sick. I wish I didn't need as much sleep as I do. I wish you needed more. I wish I was a better mother. I wish I had more time. I wish I was a better user of the time I have. I wish I knew what you were thinking. I wish you could know how much I love you. Even when I am tired. Even when I have to put you in your crib for a minute screaming. Even when I am crying, too. Even when I threaten to sell you to the first person with a crisp dollar bill (kidding). Even when I think I can't survive one more night, one more day, one more minute. You still have those brown eyes, and I still love you.

History

2011-02-23T09:49:00.000-10:00

I love teaching history to preschoolers. Here are a couple of gems from my own budding historian.

Me: Who remembers what special man we celebrated yesterday?

Lily: Martin Burger King Carl's Junior

Today:

Me: Who remembers who the first president of the United States was?

Lily: Dollarton Lincoln

I could not make this stuff up if I tried.

We don't need no stinkin' wheat!

2011-02-15T10:30:00.000-10:00

It is important that, while reading this post, you imagine me eating an entire box of Country Creme Organic Ginger Lemon cookies. That is what I am doing while writing it so it only makes sense. I bought a box of these cookies a couple of weeks ago. I was saving them for a special time or day when I would need them. After finding out that my daughter has Celiac disease and we must now rid our home of all gluten containing products, I feel like now is that special time. And working with the timeless idioms of "waste not, want not" and "if you eat enough of something in one sitting and make yourself ill, you may never want that thing again" I plan to rid my house of these particular gluten offenders one cream-filled center at a time. The vanilla ones I bought on accident, however, will be going to the chickens unless someone comes over to my house later this afternoon to claim them.
Although a diagnosis of Celiac is on the lighter end of the chronic malady spectrum (leukemia, Down's, etc. being on the darker end), I imagine the initial blow is somewhat similar. My life will never be the same. Everything will change. And while in our case, those changes will ultimately mean a cure, recovery and a lifestyle we will eventually find normal, I still am in that first phase of shock and denial, so please, be patient.
It is hard to hear that there is something wrong with your kid. Anything. We all want them (even think them) to be perfect. I still think Lily is perfect. Except her gut, which is apparently all kids of screwed up! Since September she has thrown up every three weeks and has complained of almost constant and sometimes excruciating stomach pain in between. After rounds of blood work she finally got fitted for a suit of Celiac, or an intolerance to gluten, the main protien in wheat (and several other grains). While this seems at first horrific, it is really a solution rather than a problem. The problem is Lily's constant discomfort, the solution? Lay off the bread. In a best case scenario, under strict dietary changes she may even be able to recover fully and eventually tolerate gluten to some extent later on. For now, we just hope to stop the all-nighter puke-fests and stomach pains.
It is a little overwhelming when you start researching all that has gluten in it. Playdough, soy sauce, shampoo, vitamins, the list is staggering. I really feel like I am going back to school learning what is healthy and what is not. I feel so. . .novice. Novice, but determined to learn. It is also amazing if you compile a list of all the things that don't contain gluten. That list is more practical, at least for my sanity. Glass half full and all that. Still, even though I can intellectually say "it isn't that bad. I can DO this. I like to make new recipes. We love Asian food" and all the rest, sometimes I still want to cry because we can't go to Kneaders anymore. Really! I should be happy that all that is required to fix my daughter is a shift in diet and not lifelong medication or surgery, and I am. However, I do love bread. I really do. And I will mourn it's loss from our home.
I hope that my life won't be defined by our being gluten-free. I don't want that do be what Lily or myself is all about. However, I know that for awhile, it will be. While we learn, while we adapt, it will have to occupy a big part of our brains, time and, unfortunately for those that know us, our conversations. It won't always be like that. I have faith that we will slip into a routine and living gluten-free will just be that. Nothing complicated just life. I am already grateful for friends and family that have been so supportive and helpful in the last week and a half. It just proves what I already knew: people are good and gluten is bad. Well, at least I knew the first part.

Today we tried Cherrybrook Kitchen's Gluten Free Dreams Pancake/Waffle mix. I added an egg to the recipe and made heart shaped waffles for our snack at preschool. They were SO GOOD. I served them plain, no syrup or anything and the kids all said they were the best waffles they ever had (maybe the shape?). We will definatetly try that one again. Also for snack we had a fruit/rice milk smoothie and hard boiled eggs. Yum!

18 seconds may be all you need. . .

2011-01-08T17:09:00.000-10:00

. . .to get an idea of the silliness that occurs here on a regular basis. This went on for a while but my memory was full of Christmas morning video, which later got deleted while I was transferring it to the computer.
I love my silly girls. Lily is sweeter than I could have hoped to her sister and Magnolia loves Lily more than milk itself.

Hi, I'm Noli

2011-01-02T17:26:00.000-10:00

Or Magnolia, or Maggie, Maggie Moo, Magstar, Noles, Maggie-Noles, Sista, Magpie, Bubba Chubs, Grabby McPaws, Babes, or any other ridiculous nick-name my parents and sister decide to give me that day. Apparently, being the youngest means you can be called whatever the heck comes to mind and it flies. And they wonder why I have been so fussy these 6 months. . .pick a name, people! Sorry. Had to get that out.

Well, there it is. I'm six months old. I nap now, so that is new since my mom posted. She is pretty excited about it, can't stop talking about it actually, but I don't know what the big whoop is, it is JUST A CRIB, people. Between you and me, I liked my swing better. Too bad I got too big and broke it. Who makes baby swings with weight limits anyway? Oh, and (funny story) if you think those weight limits are just for legal reasons. . .you're wrong.
What else? Well, my parents have started giving me real food. . .sort of. I just want some food. Is that too much to ask? Dad usually is the one to feed me. Mom says it is a bother and is just easier to nurse. I will be a monkey's uncle if I am going to be nursing when I go to nursery, though, I'll tell you that much. Dad gives me carrots, or spinach or sweet potato that mom has whirled up in her fancy shmancy blender. It is okay. Whatever. I grabbed a fist full of guacamole today off of Dad's plate, now THAT's what I'm talking about! Mom wiped it off of me before I could get too much, but you know I got a good tongue-ful before! Woot! Oh, and if there is one thing I have learned in my six months on Earth it is this: guacamole tastes good but it does not feel good in your eye.
Let's see, what did I do today? Well, we had early church, so that meant an earlier tantrum from big sis. That girl will not wear shoes, I don't know what the fuss is. I just let mom put them on and then kick them off on the way inside the chapel. She is usually too busy to notice and then, no shoes! Much easier. Church is now at nap time so, since I nap now, I did sleep during half of sacrament. Then, just for fun, I decided to see if I could make it through the rest of church without eating. I did it! Mom tried to feed me before she went to young women, but I was strong! Relentless, even. It. Was. Awesome. The real bummer was, that as soon as church ended, I was done with my experiment and Mom made me wait all the way until we got home to eat. We live 3 BLOCKS AWAY! It was torture. I made my family suffer with me. It only seemed fair.
Later my mom undressed me for a bath with sister. I LOVE baths. They are the best. Wet? Naked? What's not to like? Then her phone rang. I was already naked, all she had to do was put me in the bath. The water was there. Sister was there. Why was I not there? Yak yak yak. . .what about my bath? You see, the whole incident could have been avoided if my mom would just put a few hours a day into learning to read my mind. Instead she insists on over-enunciating monosyllabic phrases right at my face as if I am a moron. I know you are my Maaaaaaa-Maaaaaa but I want a Baaaaaaaaaaath. Not too tough. But I digress. So Maaaaaaa-Maaaaa is chatting it up with her sister all the while holding me and I am STILL naked but NOT in the bath. ARGH! She left me no choice. I did what any baby under that kind of abuse would do. I peed on her. A lot. It was effective. I will have to remember that.
After bath time I watched my sister for awhile. That girl is hil-AR-ious. Sometimes she stands in front of me, jumps and screams at my face. It is so funny. Seriously, you have got to see it. I don't know how she comes up with this stuff. Then, she started running in and out of the room while singing one of my Mama's favorite songs ever "Jingle Bell Rock". So funny. SO FUNNY! I laughed until I peed (in my diaper this time, I am sorry to report) but then Mama made her stop. Kill joy, that woman. I voiced my disgust first by telepathy, of course, and then, because I fear she is still not on board with the baby ESP I broke two vintage ornaments off of the tree.
Dinner was the worst. Mama said she didn't want to give me any real food since I had already had 2 baths and it was getting late. What!?! Lame. Again, I tried to indicate to her my displeasure through peaceful mind waves but, no. Nothing. I pulled her full glass of cold water onto her crotch. Someone was getting wet and if it wasn't going to be me. . .

All in all, it was a good day. Mama wants me to sleep through the night tonight, but, seeing as it took me 5 months to even take a nap, I am just not seeing that as happening. Maybe if I can get a rueben or a Cafe Rio salad before bed we can talk. But, you come at me with that weak-sauce veggie puree and you better be getting me up to feed several times during the night. Just sayin'.
Before I go, I want to leave you with a list of my talents. I have been reading these blogs about babies and they all have lists of talents. Ahem. Here are mine:
Sitting up
Splashing
Panting like a dog
Peeing in the tub
Spitting
Rolling over from tummy to back
Jumping in my jump-a-roo
Smiling at anyone who looks at my face
Making noise
Babbling
Grabbing at food
Grabbing at faces
Simultaneously grunting and screaming (you know it!)
Clapping
Kissing Mama's face
Making my family smile
Getting the hiccups
Starting to play copy-cat

Well, blogosphere, it has been fun. I am sure I will be back. . .probably in 3 months or so. Until then, all my love to my fellow babies and to all the mothers out there: JUST PUT YOUR KID IN THE BATH!

Love,
Magnolia

Too Much TIme Living

2010-09-03T15:15:00.000-10:00

Not enough blogging. . .
We have had a great time this summer trying to figure out life with two kiddos. Number one is a great big sister and number two is a great snuggler.
I have complete faith that at some point I will be able to have time to post more on this blog. Today is not that day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either. Nor does next week. But someday. . .

6 Week Stats

2010-08-06T15:13:00.001-10:00

This is one of those posts that will be boring to everyone. Everyone except myself. I just want to jot these down before I forget.

Magnolia, sweet girl, you just love to be held. You get very offended if I put you down. . .even if you were just fast asleep. You are lucky that I love to hold you, and that you are so cute. I am lucky that your Aunt Ruth let me use her wrap or my arms would fall off. You are not a normal newborn, if there is such a thing. The phrase "sleep like a baby" does not apply to you. You are a super light sleeper. You are strong. Most babies are sort of limp and squishy like cooked spaghetti. Not you. Even when you eat your legs stick out straight as boards. Silly Noli.
We love you so much. Lily loves you and always wants to see your "facey". It is all I can do to protect you for all of her love. Today you had your first bath with your big sister. She loved it and you survived so I count it as a success. Lily's first comment when I put you in the bath was 'Let's see if she sinks!'. I assured her that you do. After she shared (threw) a toy with you it was time for you to get out. Lily was sad. Just the other day your big sister said 'I have been waiting and waiting for a baby just like this and now, I have her!' It was very sweet.
You are a good baby, but still fairly fussy when you are awake (unless you are in the wrap, on mommy with the paci). I think you will feel better when you figure out how to use your body. You seem very frustrated by the limitations of your new body. I think you just want to sit up and be a big girl!

I love you and am so happy to have you in our family. Little Noli, you are loved.

More Magnolia

2010-07-10T07:36:00.000-10:00

My Girls Really Clean Up. . .

2010-06-30T05:19:00.000-10:00

My mom had Lily while I was in the hospital having Magnolia. Since we didn't know she was a girl until she was born, we were anxious to call everyone and let them know we had another beautiful girl. When we called my mom, she was at Costco with Lily. Not five minutes after we called and told her the news, and that we were naming the babe, Magnolia, my mother was stopped by a sampler that had some new laundry detergent. The sampler had her smell the detergent and when my mom asked what the nice, unique scent was, can you guess what she answered?

My mom bought me some and brought it to the hospital for me. How could she resist?

Noli Poli

2010-06-30T05:12:00.000-10:00

We sure are taken by our little lady. Check out her wrist rolls. Awesome. If only those things were still cute at my age. . .

Answers

2010-06-22T14:18:00.001-10:00

Here are a few answers to some burning (ha ha) questions from the comments of the previous post:

How has Lily adjusted to a sibling?

She is doing really well. She is obsessed with the umbillical cord. It ranges from disgust to total fascination. She loves to kiss Noli's head and stroke her hair.
I really think that week 3 will be the test. The novelty will have worn off, the attention will still be mostly shifted toward Noli, Chris will have been back to work and Lily will, I expect, start to feel the real brunt of the change. As for now she has been showered with attention from Grandma, friends, relatives, etc. so it probably doesn't seem to bad for her. . .yet. She was a little disappointed when she came home from her BFF's house today to find that I had not cleaned her play room. What?! Hmmm, little miss needs a lesson in responsibility I think.

What was in the gift basket?

Soaps, lotions, scrubbers, luffahs, bath things. All in a horrible, super-strong cherry scent. Who wants some?

For Claudia:

Yes, that is exactly why Claire's doll got that name. I think I spelled the doll's name "Nolie" if I remember right. Chris REALLY wanted it to be Noli (no e) and as a nod to my bestie Angi and her daughter Addi, I thought it was a great idea. I hope Claire doesn't mind sharing the name. I hope Angi doesn't mind that we blatantly stole her spelling ideas.

Who does Noli look like?

She looks like me. She actually looks a lot like my sister, Tori, when Tori was a baby. When Noli was very first born and was all puffy, she looked like a toad. Really. I was worried. Incidentally, Tori's nickname growing up, was Toad.
Lily looked exactly like Chris when she was born.

Baby Story

2010-06-21T16:16:00.001-10:00

We went to the hospital Wednesday, June 16th for our scheduled C-section. It was different this time, having everything planned. I thought it would be easier. I thought it would be more calm.
When they strapped me to the table, numb from the chest down and started the surgery, I had a sudden feeling of panic. Maybe it was the normal nasea that the doctors said would occur, maybe it was the fact that although I could not feel anything, I KNEW they were cutting into me. I don't know but I had to consciously keep my head and arms from ripping down the blue sheet isolating the sterile field.
Luckily the feeling was fleeting and surgery was fast. When the doctor called out "It's a GIRL!" it was okay. It was perfect.
Only four people that I asked to guess the gender of baby number two guessed a girl. One of those people was myself. One was my husband. Even though some claimed to have special gifts and knew it was a boy, this little flower is certainly a girl.

Magnolia Nilsson
June 16, 2010
8 lbs 1 oz (I know, holy cow!)
21.75 inches long (again, HOLY COW!)

Yes, I have giggled at families with 'thematic' names for their children. Yes, I am really eating my words and openly accept all mockery. Still, 3 years after first hearing the name, 'Magnolia' and working on Chris to come around to the idea (he black listed my other top girl names of Gwen and Felicity), I am blessed with my own little southern flower.
Noli is a sweet little baby. She sleeps a lot, eats a lot and has really won our hearts. It was really hard for me to believe that I would love a baby as much as I loved Lily. I was actually quite worried I wouldn't. Turns out, I do. The heart never can be so full as to not have enough room for a baby. I was really grateful for the four days in the hospital to have with just me and and little baby Noli. It was great to bond with her and have some special (and I am sure what will turn out to be rare) one on one time with her.

When Lily was born Maui experienced the biggest earthquake it had had in (I think) over 30 years. It was a wall shaking, ground moving experience. It was pretty scary with a newborn. Not to be outdone and proving that sibling rivalry can start within the hour, Noli saddled up with a ground shaking experience of her own.

About an hour and after Noli was born and after hanging out in labor and delivery for a little snuggling, the nurses said we could move to our room on the second floor. Still numb and motionless, they let me hold Magnolia on my chest as two CNA's and Chris moved my bed down the hall and into the elevator. The doors closed and we started our 2 floor accent. Suddenly, the power went off and the elevator started shaking, violently, up and down. We all screamed. Then, the elevator stopped. Still with no power and stuck between floors, the CNA's started to become hysterical. They were both trying to call people on their walky-talky things and then picked up the emergency phone. Then, more shaking. The elevator moved up and down, several jerky feet at a time and we all braced ourselved against the walls (or, in my case, the bed) for a quick desent ala every cheesy action movie you have ever seen. I closed my eyes and tried my best to stabalize Magnolia's neck. I was actually worried about shaken baby syndrome at that point. I was too scared to scream the second time. I just prayed. Hard.
Everyone was trying to talk to us at the same time, through 2 walky-talky units, the phone and the CNA was texting someone. We could also hear the maintence men above us telling us the cables were holding and were strong so not to worry. Too late, buddy. I asked if they could take the baby through the roof. They said that it probably wouldn't come to that but they were keeping that as an option for all of us. "All of us that aren't paralyzed from the chest down" I thought. After 20 minutes or maybe 4 hours, they were able to get the elevator to return to the lower level to Labor and Delivery.
Relatively calm compared to the frantic nurse's aids, Chris and I were a little emotional as the doors parted. I refused to get on any elevator and they wheeled me back into the labor room. After a few hours, and still paralyzed, they told me I had to go up to my room. I started getting a little teary but after the director of the women's unit came and said she had personally tested a different elevator 4 times and would accompany us sans psycho CNA's, I reluctnatly agreed. I didn't breathe the whole 37 seconds we were in there.
Later, the director brought me a gift basket and apologized profusely. My story quickly became legend throughout the hospital and was being referred to as the "Tower of Terror" story. A couple of days later my nurse was talking about it and I said "that was ME!" It really was one of the scariest experiences of my life. If I wasn't before, I certainly am now, a stair girl.

My babies are earth-moving, ground-shaking, rock-and-rolling girls. Next time I give birth, I will issue a state-wide warning. I mean, just imagine if it had been a boy!

I should mention also, that I lost my voice the day before Magnolia was born, which made the birthday interesting. Every nurse asked me at least once if I was a smoker. The labor and delivery nurse asked me three times.

Harvest

2010-06-15T04:35:00.000-10:00

My brother asked me if I was prepared for the baby to be removed. Always the sensitive fellow, he continued to refer to the day as "harvest day". Having worked in agricultural research, 'harvest' seemed appropriate. It is definitely the hardest and most time-consuming (and, duh, most important) part of farming.
I guess with a scheduled c-section "baby removal" and "harvest", though un-emotional are accurate. It is very strange knowing the exact day and time that my baby will be born. It is strange knowing that I will have very, very little to do with it. I just lay there, strapped to a table, numb from the chest down, and wait. With Lily, I had no time to think about it. After 13+ hours of labor, once they decided to do a c-section, it was over in 15 minutes. I remember the green tile walls and the sound John Mayer in the background overlapping a nurse's conversation about what she had for lunch. It was very real. Not at all romantic and dramatic like the dimly lit scenes of the OR on TV.
This time I have time to think about it. It will be slower, I think. Maybe even more strange.
There are obvious advantages to having a schedule. It is always nice to know things in advance and have a time to prepare. Also, being completely unable to birth a child the "normal" way is actually comforting. I don't feel guilt about the c-section like I did with Lily. After her birth I kept thinking, 'what did I do wrong?' and 'why couldn't I just do it?'. It is nice to have a reason. It is nice that the reason isn't just that I couldn't hack it. Still, it is weird. Weird to think that tomorrow, at 12:00 I will have a baby. Outside of me. Born. Breathing. Mine.
What a miracle. What a life.
Now. . .what to name this kid?

Truth

2010-06-08T17:36:00.000-10:00

Truths that do NOT hold up during pregnancy:

Lemons should not be peeled and eaten like oranges.
Pop tarts are disgusting.
Chicken is a food.
6 cucumbers should be enough for one person in one week.
Also, 3 lbs of celery should be enough for one person in one week.
Walking through Costco is not a work-out.
My husband's 36" boardshorts are HUGE.
10:00 am is too early for lunch.
I currently do not have 7 loads of clean laundry waiting to be folded.
Sitting down doesn't hurt.
Standing doesn't hurt.
Sleeping doesn't hurt.
Waking up to pee 7 times in a night is excessive.
Brushing my teeth 17 times in a day because I want to eat my toothpaste is a bit concerning.
Changing bra sizes every other month is not normal.
I have thin hair.
I can remember important things like appointment times, days of the week, and names of family members.

Things I have discovered this pregnancy:

If you crave toothpaste and so you brush your teeth 17 times a day, you still crave toothpaste. And you worry about your enamel (don't even get me started on the lemons!)

Costco sells a hand dipped ice-cream bar for $1.50! How did I not EVER notice these before? They are amazing.

It is kind of funny the first time your mail lady asks if the baby is due yet. Every day after that for 2 months, it gets a little annoying.

No matter how uncomfortable, big, sick, tired or annoyed you get, no matter how many times in a week you have to go to the store to buy more celery, no matter how many times the mail lady says you surely must be carrying twins and no matter how many times you have to go to the bathroom in a day, you are still grateful to have a healthy baby growing inside you. What a blessing it is to live in this time of modern convenience and medical technology. What a blessing it is to be a mother.

And, what a blessing it is to have a week left to prepare.
One week and counting.
Any advice for the second time around?

And Speaking of Chickens. . .

2010-05-13T15:39:00.000-10:00

This Easter season I did something I have been thinking about for a long time.

I dyed eggs.

Without dyes.

Start with this:

Add some vinegar, five 3 year-olds, and let sit for. . .a bit.

Then, you get this:

We used blueberries, tumeric, carrots, spinach, onions, chili peppers, and beets. My favorite results came from the berries, onions and beets. Try this site for some instructions to try it on your own. I really want to try some natural dyes for cake frosting. Maybe this weekend. Chris has a birthday coming up.

The girls loved it (almost as much as I did) and had only slight issues in choosing which eggs to take home. I am definitely doing this next year, it was way more fun than regular food dye (which is just so. . .predictable!). Plus, I had little tasting bowls of all the ingredients for the kids to snack on while we dyed each kind. Well, I skipped the tumeric bowl and hot chili bowl. I know, so boring. Next time I want to try orange peel, grass, some flowers (maybe dandelions? The kids could pick them in the yard. . .if we celebrated Easter in May. . .hmmm) and herbal tea.

**Oh and a tip: if using carrots or spinach, you really should boil them. As per the instructions. I got bored of boiling stuff. They didn't really work well. The carrots were really faint and the raw spinach did nothing.

The Nilsson's Welcome Baby Juliette. . .

2010-05-12T13:08:00.000-10:00

And Rosie, Minnie and Tulip. Sorry about the continuing jokes about the baby! I just cannot help myself. . .bwah ha hah! It is just to easy to make jokes when you are in your final weeks. But the real announcement is: We finally got our chicks and they are so cute! Lily loves to check on them everyday and I am starting to think this was a really good transition to prepare her for the baby. We loved picking out the little babies and Lily loved playing with the Mama's and Aunties on the 'chicken farm'. For now, we have the chicks inside (hence the weird heat lamp picture) but soon they will be able roam the yard and sleep in the new coop (still to be completed). We hope by the end of summer to have some nice, fresh eggs in a rainbow of colors.

40 Days and 40 (sleepless) Nights

2010-05-08T17:02:00.004-10:00

If I do one a day. . .it just might happen. . .

~~1. Buy a carseat~~
~~2. Buy Lily a bed.~~
~~3. Set up Lily's bed.~~
~~4. Set up crib for baby.~~
~~5. Wash baby clothes.~~
6. Paint bedroom.
~~7. Move Lily's clothes to. . .somewhere?~~
~~8. Move dresser to closet and fill with clean baby clothes.~~
~~9. Prepare for preschool yardsale.~~
~~10. Make slideshow for preschool graduation.~~
11. Clean . . .EVERYTHING.
12. Convert tri-folds into all-in-ones (cloth diapers, people)
13. Organize closets, mostly mine.
~~14. Mail Mother's Day gift to my Mother-in-Law (sigh. . .late)~~
~~15. Dig up daffodils.~~
1~~6. Get my hair cut.(it has been since last July)~~
~~17. Order my favorite baby soaps and lotions.~~
~~18. Clean out the kitchen lazy susan cabinet.~~
19. Clean behind the fridge.
20. Clean behind the stove.
21. Put weed barrier down in "The Pit".
~~22. Set up the baby swing.~~
~~23. Sterilize bottles and pump.~~
~~24. Clean out fridge.~~
~~25. Clean out freezer.~~
~~26. Buy a stroller that fits the carseat from #1.~~
~~27. Organize storage area and find the rest of the baby gear.~~
~~28. Buy some pacifiers in hopes that this kid will take one.~~
~~29. Buy tile for the cabin (more on this later!)~~
~~30. Buy tables, chairs for the preschool.~~
~~31. Paint the small wall of the preschool.~~
32. Plan the first few months of preschool.
33. Fix the towel ring in the upstairs bathroom.
34. Sew shower curtain for downstairs bath.
Nag Chris about the following:
~~35. Finish the chicken coop.~~
~~36. Dig and bury cement barriers to keep the neighbor's nasty dogs out of the chicken coop.~~
37. Secure the slide in the backyard.
38. Put boulders down in "The Pit".
~~39. Move furniture out of the preschool.~~
And, last, but not least,
40. Pick a name for this baby.

Small and Simple

2010-04-28T13:11:00.001-10:00

Sometimes it is the most small and most simple things that remind me that Heavenly Father is aware of me. Today, it was that I got a nap. One that I really needed. One I thought there was no chance of getting. On a day that started at 5:15 am with pee-soaked sheets.

What a nice surprise and an important reminder.

All from a nap.

(*smile*)

And apparently Baskin Robbins has 31cent scoops tonight (and you can get up to THREE!). Yes, today is turning out to be a great day.

Favorites

2010-04-10T09:15:00.000-10:00

Lily: My favorite vegetable is a pickle!

Me: Oh, and what is your favorite fruit?

Lily: French fries.

This has been another episode of "Feeling Like a Great Mother" courtesy of the Nilsson's.

My Stars Have Aligned

2010-04-09T04:07:00.002-10:00

With two of the coolest people of my life joining forces I have to spread the word! As you know, my cousin is the mastermind and creative genius behind My Baby Rocks and has been putting out cute clothes for rockers, punkers and their punklings now for a while. I have another friend, my first BFF, if you will (seriously, since 18 mo old!) who has the best mommy blog ever and is offering a giveaway of one of my favorite My Baby Rocks items.
All you have to do is go to My Baby Rocks and pick out your favorite item on the website and then go to A Baby? Maybe and leave a comment telling what your fav is. Then, you could win the most adorable little anchor dress or t-shirt you ever did see. Lily had this dress and I still squeeze her into it as a shirt with some leggings, which means she wears it with only undies.
As for me? My fav, of course, is my robot shirt. Although, a close second would be the chandelier burnout shirt (which Lily, I promise, is wearing RIGHT NOW and I didn't even plan it.) Lily calls it the 'tangerine' shirt and loves to wear it with her black skirt.

Here are some shots from the last photo shoot that Lily did with my cousin. I sometimes wish that talent was catching like the plague. Still hoping to come down with some of Andrea's genius. So head over to A Baby? Maybe. . .and win something for the special little punk in your life.

Co-Sleeping

2010-03-24T17:53:00.000-10:00

Lily: Do you know why I sleep in your bed, Mama? Because Jesus wants us to snuggle.

So Offensive

2010-03-24T16:42:00.000-10:00

Me: Lily don't climb on the sink, you are going to break it.

Lily: I am sorry, Mom. I know it is very offensive.

It's a BOY!

2010-03-19T15:29:00.001-10:00

When I walked into the cozy Pauche Cafe I was looking for soup. I came out with revelation that will, I am sure, change my life forever.

After three days of 60 degree weather, the snow, today, felt even colder than normal. After my appointment at the hospital, I decided to warm up my heart with a visit to my youngest sister, who has been working in Salt Lake this week while she has a break from school. After chatting with her for awhile, ordering half a dozen flower shaped sugar cookies (with cream cheese frosting, oooooh yeeeeahhh!) and then ordering half a dozen more, some customers came in and I headed next door for something that would not give me instant gestational diabetes.

Decorated with mismatched tea pots and saki sets, the little bistro was empty except for the two employees and The Man Blessed With the Gift. I asked if they still had any soup this late in the afternoon and after receiving answer in the affirmative, I started exploring the small, but cute European-esque cafe.

The Man smiled at me. I smiled back.
"How far along are you?" He asked.
"61/2 months" I answered.
"You are having a boy." He asked. Sort of. It was more of a statement.
"Oh, I don't know, we want it to be a surprise!" I love people's reaction to this statement. Usually it goes one of two ways. Either they say 'oooh I LOVE that! How exciting!' or they say 'I could NEVER do that, you are a crazy lady'. My mother is of the latter opinion. She even offered to call the doctor, find out the gender, and then not tell me.

The Man had a different reaction. He simply looked at me right in the eyes, smiled and repeated, resolutely:
"You are having a boy."
"Oh, you can tell?" I couldn't wait to hear his reasoning. I was carrying high, I ordered a cream-based soup, my breasts are uneven, I asked for butter for my bread, my skin is splotchy, I do love a good wive's tale, especially when they are a little insulting. Just yesterday, a woman in my ward predicted I was having a girl because "girls are all in your butt." Cool.

"Yes. I am Catholic, but my LDS friend has told me that I hold the gift of discernment anyway. I am right 95% of the time." I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that his tea leaves didn't spell out "M-A-L-E" when I walked in but this was still interesting.
"Oh, well I will tell my husband to start thinking of boy names, he is convinced it is a girl."
"No, no. Definitely a boy."
My soup was ready. I went back to the cookie shop to tell Tori my big news.

So, I am having a boy. I guess I can finally put all of those girl clothes I have been hanging on to in to the 'give-away' pile. I can't help but feel a little bad for The Man With the Gift, however. Why he feels that being Catholic makes him fundamentally ineligible for discernment of prenatal gender is a little sad. And if his Mormon pal holds such authority, then why doesn't The Man just convert? What a tortured life he must lead. At least he can find joy in resolutely ruining other people's intended surprises.

I heart robots

2010-03-02T16:55:00.004-10:00

After Lily had a photo shoot with my cousin, we visited my parents. My mom and I thought it would be fun to take some pictures with our new robot matching shirts. It was fun! I am constantly amazed at how beautiful my mothers pictures are. I love everything she does. She gets better and better. I really love having a photographer in the family. And I love my robot shirt. And I love my robot Lily.

As always, check out mybabyrocks.net to get your own robot shirt or other cool kids clothes.

Hawaiian Birthday

2010-02-24T16:00:00.004-10:00

Mom, on my next birthday can we go to Hawaii again?

Uh, I don't think so. . .maybe.

Can we go to the pool and decorate that room [the party room] with Hawaiian decorations so it looks just like Hawaii and go swimming with my friends and eat cake?

Yes, we can definitely do that.

Thanks for the pics, mom. And thanks for the trip.

Mr. Washington

2010-02-21T06:32:00.003-10:00

Last week at preschool we talked about President's Day. We did a lot of fun things like coin rubbings, log cabin (pretzel) building, stories and more to learn about past and current presidents, honesty and how to be a good leader.

My personal favorite was how the George Washington wig turned out. I made all the kids say "I am George Washington and I cannot tell a lie" as they walked out to their parents. Lily doesn't love to wear her powdered wig but she did love the counting activity that we used to make it. The girls all looked so cute! (boys would have looked cute, too, but I only have girls in my class!)

Happy (late) President's Day everyone!

Table Top

2010-02-20T07:15:00.003-10:00

We bought this cool tablecloth when we were in Bozeman. It is basically just a rectangle of vintage polyester with some sort of rubbery applique. I have no idea what the applique is made of. Some sort of fabric paint, perhaps? Any ideas?
the edges are unfinished and I love it. When I saw this very similar fabric at the DI I just couldn't resist trying one myself. I decided to go with heat transfer paper for the applique (even though, now I am pretty sure that is not what the original is) and printed off a design onto the paper. Then, I cut out the design and ironed on. Sounds easy, but if you try this home let me offer this advice:
1. choose and EASY design. Cutting each piece and then getting it back together can be. . .hard.
2. when it says to separate the layers before cutting and then to replace them, DO IT.
3. beware. this could become addicting.

I made this for a best friend. What do you think? I like how it turned out even if the transfer paper isn't exactly what I was going for. My tablecloth definately has a more rubbery-plastic feel that is thicker than the transfer. Enlighten me, please!

One More

2010-02-20T07:03:00.004-10:00

I wore this sweater in 9th grade! Although it is still in really good shape, it isn't really my style right now. But, have you seen those cute sweater dresses every little girl was wearing this winter?

A few adjusted seams, some chopped and hemmed sleeves and here is Lily's Christmas dress. . .which she hated. . .because I made it and it is cute. We have different styles, she and I.
I bought her the cutest little tights to go with it. They were cream colored and had little hearts that were holes? Obviously I know nothing about knitting or I could use the terminology here. Anyway, I opened the size 2-4 tights on Christmas morn to go to my Grandma's house and when I unrolled them and they came down to the floor ON ME I knew we had a problem. Someone had packaged size 12 tights in the size 2/4. Blast. Well, she hates tights anyway. Would they be too juvenile on me?

Look how happy she is to be wearing this dress. . .

Before and After

2010-02-19T21:57:00.004-10:00

I found these knit dresses at Old Navy for $1.50. I bought the biggest sizes they had. So here is my latest recycle:
I do feel a little sad that someone had to sew the dress that I cut up.

I used the tutorial on ruffles and stuff for her jersey skirt and then just added a little rose. I kept the pockets from the original dress as an added bonus (with no added work!)

By the way: would someone please explain to me in exhausting detail (and small words) how to make a link from my blog (in the text) to another. Thanks Alyssa!

My sister's old pants she probably never wore but threw in the DI box.

Wah-lah! A little gift for my cousin who was married in December.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T14:41:00.001-10:00

Lily: Valentime's Day is about Jesus.

Me: Oh, okay, sure.

Lily: It is. Valentime's Day is about love and Jesus is love.

Me (humbled): You are right. You are absolutely right. Valentine's Day is about Jesus.

Out of the Mouths

2010-02-04T10:41:00.003-10:00

My most favorite stories about children are the funny things they say. Lily is hilarity in motion with all of her quote-ables. I always forget to write them down but thought I would take a minute to review some recent winners.

She loves to play pretend but within the last couple of weeks or so, the dialogue has taken a funny structure. Too many audiobooks at night perhaps? (Meg thought ponderously).

Lily: Don't take my kitty! Said Snow White smiling.

Meg: But I love kitties.

Lily: Cinderella said as she snatched the kittens away. No! Not my kittens! Said Snow White as she jumped onto the carriage with a groan.

Meg: (amid laughs) a groan?

Lily: What is a groan?

Please note, that we are not playing with dolls here. Lily is being Snow White, and I am Cinderella. The narrative extras crack me up! (Said Meg with a wink).

Kids are literal beings. Lily has said a few phrases recently that, in context, are not that funny. But, to an idiom-spouting adult, are hilarious.

Today:

Lily: Mom, you need to tell the preschool kids to suck it.

(I will let you guess at the true context here. . .)

Last week:

Lily: Mama, I stuck it to the man!

(magnets can be funny)

And some are funny for no reason other than they are uttered by a three-year-old.

Lily: I am exhausted!

Me:Do you want to lay down or have a quiet time?

Lily: Mama, what does 'exhausted' mean?

Me: It means you are really so, so tired.

Lily: I am certainly NOT exhausted!

Lily: Mama, I made a trombone and he is playing it. That is how he is creative.

The simple fact that she consistently says the word "usually" when she means "actually".

Lily: I have been thinking and thinking of a name for my unicorn all morning. Then, I realized, Cotton Candy is the best name!

And speaking of names. . .the most entertaining part of playing ponies, or discussing the new baby to come, is the issue of naming. Here are some of her best:

Twinkle Wishes

Star Heart Love Wing

Kitty-Paw Jewel

Tria

Plates

Plant

Sparkle Bubbles

Jingle

and, of course, if the baby is a boy: Tyler. Go figure.

January

2010-01-07T18:22:00.002-10:00

The calendar counts down the days
until the new year
a depressing reminder
that the only resolve
comes in winter

I miss Maui most in January

Thoughts on the Pioneers

2010-01-01T10:01:00.001-10:00

Chris: If the Pioneers could have tasted a Cafe Rio salad, what do you think they would say?

Meg: Yum.

The Jesus Story

2009-12-29T17:04:00.002-10:00

Grandma: "and then an angel came to the shepherds and do you know what he said to them?"

Lily: "Don't be scared. I am not a monster. I am an angel and I am here to take care of you."

Also heard on Christmas Eve:

Lily: "David! David, come! It is time for the Jesus story!"

Trestle

2009-12-15T05:20:00.005-10:00

Are you like me and haven't even thought about Christmas cards and Christmas is next week and you are wondering if you should even try? Well here is a great option:

My friend and super designer, Emily has some brand new cards for Christmas this year. They are all darling. Check her out at

trestledesign.blogspot.com and pick your favorite. I love the 'O Christmas Tree' one. What about you?

She also has the cutest blog headers on the block! Seriously.

Mid June

2009-12-07T15:01:00.003-10:00

The past few weeks have been strange. I started eating mayo, I wet my pants, I dreamt I was re-doing my freshman year in college (but maintained my status as wife, mother, etc.), and planned a trip to Disneyland (in real life, not in a dream). I feel a little as if my mind has left early on the California trip and left me to manage alone. I haven't made any huge mistakes in it's absence which has me even more worried. Did I use it before? Did I even use the 10% of brain capacity that an average human uses? Close friends would argue not. However, throughout this period of weirdness I have had one reason for comfort. There is one, solid explanation for all of the strange happenings (except maybe the Disney planning) and perhaps I should have opened with it. It would, at least, explain the incontinence. But then I couldn't end with a punch like:

I'm pregnant.

Here we go again.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2009-11-27T09:55:00.003-10:00

Sewing has taken a turn for the economical worst in the last 20 years. It is now more expensive to sew than to buy. Sad. I think I may have found a loop-hole, however.
I beg, borrow and steal.
My sisters give me all of their DI clothes, which becomes the bulk of my fabric stash. Then, an old Young Women Camp sweatshirt of Tori's (adult size M) finds new life as a quirky little sweater for my 3 year old's preschool photo shoot. Total cost: $1 for fancy button

My BFF gives a flat of cutesy squirrel fabric which I save and save and save until the perfect occasion. Total cost to me: $0. I am not counting cost of thread or needles since I stole most of my mother's supply.

More RRR projects to come.

School Days

2009-11-27T09:44:00.002-10:00

I have been so busy with preschool but loving every minute. Thanks to the talented, beautiful, Mindy for the pics. I love them.

CUTstitchLOVE

2009-11-24T13:56:00.002-10:00

Check it out, my friend, Angi, is amazing. How she finds the time and sheer energy to be as amazing as she is remains a mystery. However, it does make it fun knowing her! She recently opened her own etsy shop and I wanted to let everyone know about. . .just in time for Christmas. I personally own the first apron here and LOVE it. I try to wear it when I know people will be seeing me. I feel so Martha. So domestically chic. These are just my two favorite that she has but you really should jump over to her shop cutstitchlove.etsy.com and pick out your favorite for an easy and adorable Christmas gift (maybe for yourself).

Go Girl! Angi, you rock.

I do.

2009-11-20T11:57:00.005-10:00

It is hard to start back at something you have left for so long. I have so many pictures, stories and funnies to share from the last 6 weeks but, in the words of a once great TV show, "I don't wanna". I just don't have the energy to back track. At least not now. That is partly why I keep procrastinating my blog. Oh, that and the fact that I have been teaching preschool everyday since my sister-in-law gave birth to her third little cutie.

So, I decided to compromise with myself. I will write a blog today, but I will write it on something arbitrary. That sounds more fun.

This blog entry is actually something I started working on in August. I meant to publish it for my 7th anniversary at the end of that month but. . .well, November never sounded better so here we go:

I got married young. Too young. At 21 I barely had the self awareness to know that I was going to be the one wearing the dress. To have any solid opinions of style, reception, flowers, music or any other details was waaaaay out of the realm of possibility for 21 year old Megarella (my nickname by my roommies at 21. If that, alone, doesn't speak volumes to our maturity then I don't know what will). Now, at 28, I look back with perhaps only slightly more mature eyes, but different ones, and certainly more opinionated ones. I am sure that 7 years from now, at 35, I will have entirely different tastes again. I guess that is what makes life fun. Or at least interesting. Either way, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my current opinions on wedding style. If I were getting married today, here is what I would chose:

I am in love with the invitations from rifle design. I want to renew my vows just for the reason of these invitations.

I went to a work seminar once where they had a dessert table with millions of little tiny desserts mini creme brule in mini tea cups and tiny tiny brownies in tiny tiny papers. I loved it. It was the best marriage of delicious and delicate. And I could justify have 5.

I went to a reception in a barn once. It was so elegantly decorated inside and they had a very Nickel Creek-esque band playing. I was so mad that I was already married. I want to be married in a barn! No, I don't. I just want to celebrate it in the barn! I still would get married in the temple.

Aside from nearly tearing our relationship apart, having my mother make my wedding dress was just too much work. For her. It was too hard to communicate what I wanted long distance (also, I didn't know what I wanted) and too many people 'helped' resulting something that was beautiful, stunning, but not what I had imagined. This is what I imagine today.

What else:
I would suck it up and have a night time reception. I don't care how tired I would be, they look cooler, are cooler.
I would have dancing.
I would have a limited number of people come. And serve a nice dinner.

What I wouldn't change:

Chris. I would still pick him. Everyday.
Temple. I don't regret being sealed forever to Chris.
Not throwing my bouquet. Still wouldn't.

Also, it goes without saying, that in my fantasy wedding land, both me, and my fiance, Chris, are multi-millionaires.

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-14T10:45:00.000-10:00

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Okay WOW! Can you say WOW? How this woman can make these things and give them away for free I just will never know. AMAZING!!!

GNP

2009-09-25T19:41:00.005-10:00

Gross National Product?. . .NO. . .Glacier National Park!

Logan's Pass. Gorgeous yes, but a bugger to get up there. We had been in the car way too long and I was hungry. Let's just say I would have appreciated the view and hikes up here a bit more if someone had a nice bowl of cream of asparagus soup for me up there. Is that too much to ask? With bread and butter please.

We went on a great hike in Glacier. Lily hated the backpack and spent much of the time whining and crying on the way up there. Then, just before we got up to the lake she fell asleep. She was asleep the whole time we were at the lake and then woke up just in time for. . .

. . .BEARS! We saw a mother bear and a baby black bear. I guess that they are rarely seen on this hike because it is a heavily used trail. We ran into a couple from Germany on the trail who said that they had been told there were bears coming up so we kept a sharp eye out and low and behold. . .BEARS. It was so cool. Mostly because the German couple had bear spray and the other couple that caught up to us had a gun so I felt 100% safe. We stopped and watched them for a while and then they slowly crossed RIGHT OVER THE TRAIL! We kept waiting for the screams of people coming up the trail but miraculously no one came up at that time. There was a steady stream of people the whole day, I just couldn't believe that no one came during the bear crossing. All I can say is that I am so fulfilled by seeing a bear in the wild in Montana.

Whitefish

2009-09-22T17:38:00.004-10:00

We finally made it to Whitefish and boy were we glad to be out of that car!

So what did we do in Whitefish?

Bozeman

2009-09-21T17:32:00.004-10:00

The second night of our trip, we camped just outside of Bozeman. (Yes, we camped in Yellowstone, just for one night).

Bozeman is a cool, little college town with an awesome, funky downtown. We dropped Lily off at a drop in day care that we stumbled upon. I know, I couldn't believe that I did it either, I surprised myself but she was BEGGING to go in and lets face it, after 10 hours in the car in two days I was ready for a break. It was really fun to walk around downtown, sans toddler, and have an adult conversation, browse the many antique stores and not hear "My Little Pony" theme song in the background (although it was still in our heads).

We picked Lily up an hour later because it was starting to rain and we had to get back on the road.

The "wildlife" in front of the Bozeman library. I loved the Bozeman library. They had an amazing kids section. Lily could have spent all day there. She loved all of the activities, puzzles, games and puppets they had for the kids to explore. There were a lot of kids there, I could tell it was a pride of the town.

Our campsite in Bozeman. We camped at this little campground just outside of town. It had a pool and a playground. Lily loved it. It wasn't really back woods camping, but it was nice to get a warm shower and to have a place for Lily to climb around. She even loved the pool even though that day was freezing!

Chris worked at this guest ranch the summer after high school. We had to have a picture of his old 'stomping grounds'. Seriously, he said 'stompin' grounds' when we passed it. Sigh. I guess we are getting old. We decided not to drive up the canyon to the ranch for lunch. We told ourselves it was a time issue. Really, it was a 5-star-resort-food-not-being-in-our-budget-so-lets-not-tempt-meg issue.

Whitefish Ho!

Montana. . .

2009-09-19T17:04:00.007-10:00

. . .where the men are men and the women are too. At least that is what I had been told. I didn't find that to be the case, but the least populated state (by area) did live up to every rumor of beauty, splendor, and scenic magnificence that I had heard.

All packed up and ready to go!

Potty break in the woods.

Buffalo!

Our first stop was Yellowstone. I had never been there before and decided that I could not, in good conscience, go another year without seeing it. I loved everything about it. The wildlife, the incredible views, the geysers. I think my favorite part was just how diverse it is. Around every corner was a completely new scene. It was wonderful. I can't wait to go back.
I love this sign at the entrance (that we went out of) that reads "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people".

This is Yellowstone falls. It was so magnificent, it looked fake. Really, it was amazing. They call this the grand canyon of Yellowstone. No wonder!

We brought our bikes along and were able to do a nice little ride in the park to a natural rock bridge. It was a perfect little bike ride, not too long, not too steep, not crowded, and of course, gorgeous!

I have almost a hundred pictures of these pools. There are millions of them, in all colors, sizes and temperature. The really blue one is 700 degrees. Yikes! They were so captivating and beautiful in that dangerous sort of way. Like a black widow. It was amazing to see our earth moving and changing right before our eyes! It made me feel very close to the planet and very aware at how minimal I am in comparison to the whole power of the earth. It was surprisingly humbling.

Stay tuned for Bozeman, bears, glacier, Whitefish and more!

We're back.

2009-09-16T13:44:00.001-10:00

More to come. . .

Beauty

2009-08-25T13:35:00.002-10:00

76 Trombones

2009-08-19T04:42:00.005-10:00

I never liked parades, until I had kids.

I find myself ending a lot of sentences that way now. I never ate chicken nuggets, until I had kids. I never ate someone else's leftover PB&J. I never thought of Elmo as a great time saver. I never decorated my house with construction paper. I never put sprinkles on pizza and I never woke up before the sun to stake out a great spot for a local parade.

Until I had kids.

In smaller towns everything is a little heightened. The less people in a town, it seems, the more connected to the community each person feels. An easy ratio: As population increases, the amount of 'city per capita' must decrease. This concept is never more apparent than in the small town festival.

As soon as we moved to Bountiful, we started hearing about The Parade. Whispers of its grandeur and spectacle rivaled those of Macy's Thanksgiving and The Rose. When we said that we may be out of town during Bountiful's Handcart Days, we were cautioned not to miss this crowning event and promised that we would not be disappointed.
Some new friends of mine started hatching plans to stake out their prime spot for the parade. City ordinance dictates that you cannot place chairs, blankets, etc. on the parade route before 7:00 am on the day of The Parade. The Parade starts at six. PM. My friends warned me though, that to secure a spot on the shady side of the street, in full view of The Parade's magical wonder and be in position to catch candy thrown from said wonder, a certain amount of strategy would be necessary. I love grandeur. I love plans. I love new friends. I was in.

I woke up several minutes before my alarm went off at 4:45 am. I through on some pants, grabbed a blanket and stepped onto what I expected to be a quiet street. Instead, I was practically cut off by a man pushing a stroller loaded with blankets, camp chairs and child followed closely by his tank-topped wife and two 44 oz sodas. I felt like I had stepped off Platform 9 and 3/4 into an entirely different, but wonderful world where parades are the driving motivation.

My competitive nature kicked in at this point and I started to walk faster but then noticed Emily, one of my friends, coming out of her house. When we reached Main Street we were not even close to the first ones there. People were sleeping on the grass lining the street and pacing near prime spots like leopards waiting to leap on the young, unexpected zebra, aka the grass in front of the bank. Every now and then the police would come by to enforce the 'no placing of the blankets before 7 am' ordinance and everyone would jump off of the parade route and act nonchalant about the fact that we were all out there, in the dark, for no reason (especially not the parade!) holding folding chairs. Meanwhile, I could feel the tension amongst the other parade goers around us. Where we going to take their spots? Were they going to encroach ours? We had been here since 5 for crying out loud. If you slept in till 6:15 that's not our fault! Lazy! Small discourses on how many people were in each group or how far our theoretically claimed area was or needed to be floated up and down the street right along with the early morning mist.

At 6:57 someone decided it was go time and as soon as that first blanket took flight to spread itself over the greatest area of prime real estate, everyone else was in instant motion. By 6:59 every inch of the west side of the street was covered and claimed. We took precautions, as did others, against crafty "chair ruslers" by tying pink caution tape (ribbon) around our secured spot.

The weekend after The Parade we headed to Bear Lake. Despite the lack of cleanliness of our condo, we had a great time at the beach with my extended family. Water + sand+ bucket = happy kids. We managed to be there for the annual Raspberry Days celebrations and had fun cruising the craft booths at the fair, putting the little girls on the train and of course, attending the local parade. My dad and I rented a couple of wave runners and tore it up on the lake for an hour. Ahhhh sweet adrenaline, how I missed you.

I was nervous when we drove out to the beach in the morning of the Raspberry Day parade and there were chairs set up along one side of the street. I thought it was going to be The Parade all over again. Luckily, when we got to the parade route about 15 minutes before the start we found a spot on the sunny side of the street just as a cloud accommodated us with coverage. This was the perfect parade. It was only about 20 minutes long start to finish. The floats (trucks), though not impressive, were stocked with high energy riders, streamers, and most importantly, candy. Lots of candy. I am talking the high quality stuff, no tootsie rolls here, friends. And they weren't stingy. Just across the street from us a 30-something man was standing up holding a full size cooler yelling "hit me! I'm local!" and they did. I don't doubt that he filled more than half of his giant igloo. The candy, even the immense quantity, wasn't the most impressive. Also thrown out from floats were bags of baby carrots (we got 4), water bottles, t-shirts (mine says "Quick and Tasty" advertising a local burger and shake joint, though I wonder if it would be misunderstood outside of town), toys, hats, sunglasses and plastic rings. It was like Halloween! Only better. The candy came to us and the candy providers were the ones who had to dress up. It was perfect.

The last spectacle of the Raspberry Days parade was a group of ponies, yaks, llamas, bulls, goats and sheep. The little girls were going crazy at all the woolly wonder. One woman, leading a saddled pony saw Lily and Anna and asked if they wanted to ride in the parade. Um, do they breathe oxygen? The girls could have been in heaven. They rode a pony in a real parade. Perfection.

But what about The Parade? Was the next day of me being the Wicked Mom of the West worth it? Would I do it again? When you move to a new area it doesn't take much to get you excited about hanging out with some cool people. Waking up early to hang with Amy and Emily was worth it. They are some of the coolest. The Parade was long with long spaces in between each feature. Each float would either throw no candy or ONE PIECE to a group of twenty kids. No one would throw it down to the curb either, they made the kids run into street to collect (the ONE piece! Stingy much?) and Lily peed on the blanket. Next year? I'll sleep in and use those two hours driving up to Bear Lake during Raspberry Days. But if you're going up for shakes, stay local. Tony's Burgers in Centerville makes the best raspberry shake around, from real Bear Lake raspberries. It might be the 2 cups of real cream I saw them pour on the top of mine. Maybe not. It might just be the twice fried french fries I ate it with.

RIng a Bell?

2009-08-05T09:39:00.002-10:00

My baby ROCKS!

2009-07-28T11:08:00.003-10:00

My cousin is amazing. She is one of those rare people who is successful doing something creative that she loves. She found niche in punk baby clothes and it has taken off. Check out her AMAZING web store mybabyrocks.net and you will be amazed as I am. She started with a toy screen printer in her bedroom people! And now she is official, big and bad.
Lily was a model for her recent photo shoot. Here are a few of the shots Andrea took of her. We had so much fun hanging out with Andrea, checking out the new warehouse and seeing the inside of My Baby Rocks.

Auntie Tori

2009-07-23T16:35:00.005-10:00

Lily loves my sister. How could you not love the Toad. She is amazing, beautiful, talented and kind. We love you, Tori.

Hello Girl

2009-07-20T05:19:00.002-10:00

Alas!

2009-07-16T17:11:00.003-10:00

I haven't seen the new Harry Potter flick yet, but this might satisfy me until I can.

The kitchen. . .and more

2009-07-12T18:44:00.002-10:00

I love summer. . .

2009-07-12T18:40:00.004-10:00

. . .especially the food.

Whole wheat toast, cream cheese, garden fresh spinach, tomato and herbs and a poached egg. Life doesn't get much better.

Music Love

2009-07-12T17:32:00.005-10:00

Music makes us happy. Lily sings at the top of her lungs almost all day and I love it. You could even say that music is what brought our family together. In college, I had a friend in a physics class. One day when I wore a t-shirt with a somewhat obscure band name on it he said "hey, my friend listens to that band, you have to meet him" and the rest is, as they say, history. Chris and I still love hearing live music whether it be on our living room "stage" with Lily singing "Families and Lions Can Be Together Forever" ("you liked that part about lions right mom?" ~ Lily) or with 7000 others at the free concert at the Gallivan Center this past Thursday. We often kick ourselves for leaving a good thing behind us in Hawaii but at moments like this, hearing great bands like Bon Iver and Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) FOR FREE while munching on fresh bread, apricots and cheese from the farmer's market, we are lovin' the mainland.

People watching at this show was almost as great as the music itself. There were all types, including lots and lots of kids! Lily didn't hesitate to strip off her dress and jump in the fountain with the other kiddos and swim until her pull-up (we weren't risking the porta-potties that time. . .) outweighed her and I refused to let her be naked in the water (This ain't Hawaii sistah!). Others, adults, jumped in clothed and swam to the sweet falsetto that is Bon Iver. . .until being kicked out by security.

Friday night Chris, myself, my brother Richard, sister Alyssa, Alyssa's boyfriend and my brother, David and his friend went to see the Utah Symphony at Thanksgiving Point as part of their outdoor summer concert series. It was amazing. Richard and I made infinite oboe jokes (my rock-n-roll brother also plays the oboe, if you didn't know. . .my favs being Hoboe Playah and Reed it and Weep, both future t-shirts) and enjoyed Copeland and Suza classics as well as some Benny Goodman, and a new piece featuring a "cell-phonist". The Symphony took popular cell ring tones, punched in dramatically by the hilarious cell phonist and took the melody as the theme. It was hilarious. I think Tori might have thought about joining band in high school if she could have had a cell phone!
There were SO MANY PEOPLE at the Symphony concert that we took our time walking around the beautiful (but dark) gardens while the crowds filed out. Richard planned out how he may be able to live at the gardens, undetected, as we explored the waterfalls, foot paths and bridges. We planned a whole urban Man vs. Wild. Coming soon to YouTube. . .
It seems my daughter comes by her skinny-dipping tendencies naturally. Richard jumped in one of the garden ponds before we left.

The House

2009-07-08T09:25:00.002-10:00

You wanted some pictures, so here you go. Not all rooms in our house are, shall I say, done? We don't have a lot of pictures on the walls and we don't have everything just how we like it. It will get there, though. Maybe I will get brave and photo some of the works in progress. For today, here is the main room, or GREAT room. . .hee hee.

The dining room. Someday we will have some art or mirrors or. . .something on the walls.

This is the front room. It is a long, narrowish room so you get it in parts. We have a main sitting room and then the armchair on the other side. It is kind of weird because it is so long and narrow so we have two separate sitting areas. What do you think?

I found my camera cord connecter thing!

2009-07-08T09:00:00.006-10:00

Thus I can now blog. . .

Three little dollies for three little girls.

Salt Lake Arts Fest. We had a great time. Lily even got to play a real violin. She was in heaven. She took much longer than her turn.

Some little jammies I made for a little baby. . .too bad they fit Lily so well. The baby got something different. . .

Every year my family goes to Aspen Grove family camp. We had a great time this year. It was a little rainy but we still had a great time in the beautiful Utah mountains. It is weeks like this that I feel good about moving here from Maui. Lily loved painting this Moonicorn at the arts center.

We loved having Chris with us the whole week. Lily loved fishing (good thing David was there to clean the fish. . .I swear if times got bad I would have to kill the game for our family, and that is sad) and even ate the trout for breakfast.

We loved all the available babysitting and took advantage of our time alone for a little hike.

Lily loves my little cousin, Anna. How could you not? She is adorable!

And finally, my latest sewing endeavor has been swimsuit making. It is something I have wanted to make even before I had a sewing machine. Trust me, even ask Claudia, she can vouch. This little one was the latest swap I sent out to Boston. I have been sporting my own swimsuit at the local pool and have gotten several compliments. You won't see it here, however. There are few things in life that cause you to come face to face with your own insecurities more rashly than sewing your own swimsuit. Posting pictures of yourself on your own blog in that swimsuit is one of them. It is navy, it is retro, it is fabulous and it is only a tiny bit too small.

Party Time

2009-06-04T17:41:00.006-10:00

Last month (hey, I have been busy!) was Chris' birthday and we celebrated with a birthday/housewarming party. There are few times in my life when I have planned things and they have gone exactly like I have imagined. I tend to be a big planner. I like details and grand gestures and yet rarely do I have the forsight or budget to execute my grand ideas. So my three ring circus is usually just some gas station cotton candy and a kazoo and I am left disappointed. But this time, it was magic. We had a ton of people, a ton of food, live music, crazy kiddos, house tours, Wii on a big screen for the teens, and just FUN. I want to do it again! Maybe tomorrow!

I was running around giving tours, playing music and refilling the grinds so I didn't take one single picture but I did steal several from Erin's facebook. My mom took several, also which I will post later. . .if I remember.

Richard was our A/V guy and set up a little sound stage for us. He kicked off the entertainment portion of the evening with his classic 'Beard Song'. A sure, not-to-be-missed.
Chris sang some of his songs. . .I love when he sings. He should do it more. Another reason for more parties!

Richard trying to jam along to my horrible playing. I don't practice much. Enough said. It was fun, though!

My cutie with my cutie sister. Alyssa was an angel and took care of Lily about the whole time. She even had to clean up an "accident" while I was playing with Erin and Alisha. Thank you, Alyssa!

This is a rare shot of the first performance of the Blithe reunion tour! It was SOOOOO fun to have Erin drive up and to have Alisha close enough to get the ol' college band back together. We didn't practice at all just sat up there and tried to play an old song. And if I do say so myself, it wasn't that bad. And, since I have no audio to prove it wrong, that is the truth you must all now believe. It was so fun I can barely type without smiling. I do miss those girls.

Alisha and I have been able to get together a few times to "jam" since I have been back in Utah. She is so talented and kind. I am so happy she puts up with me. I have such a great time singing with her.

Perhaps my favorite part of the weekend was having Erin come stay the night. I love Erin. She is a life long friend and so generous and thoughtful. She makes me smarter every time I am near her. She is so beautiful inside and out. Our house was truly happier with her in it. Thank you, Erin, for making the trip. She took some darling pictures of Lily (also stolen from her facebook. . .hee hee) and was a good sport about my tour of our town. Come back, Erin, come back!

And the WINNER is. . .

2009-05-31T16:59:00.003-10:00

Jodi!

Jodi said

"So Darling (both the hat and your daughter)! Thanks for the chance to win!

Jodie "

Thanks Jodi and thanks to all who entered and left such nice words. I hope to have more giveaways in the future. It was so fun to enter all of the great prizes. . .and just maybe I will win one, or two, or. . .

GIVEAWAY DAY IN MAY!

2009-05-26T16:59:00.006-10:00

Sew Mama Sew is hosting another giveaway day for all the crafty blogs of the blogworld and for you to win free stuff from them. And from this bloggy blog you can win this:

Not HER. . .the Urban Riding Hat she is sporting.
This little hat, although not super summery, is a great accessory to any toddler's wardrobe . It is made from cream with brown dotted baby cord (I don't know if this is the official name of the fabric, but you know the itty bitty cord) and lined in dark brown satin. As always, click the pictures to get a better view.

For anyone who does read this blog, yes, it is exactly like the one that I made for Lily and posted a while ago. I promise, though, that the winner will get one I made that has never been worn. I actually made three hats like the one Lily has on, so you can be confident that you are getting a smoke, kid and pet free hat (our cat still is living with my mom).
If you want a chance for this little cap, just comment on this post and one lucky poster will be chosen at random on May 31.

Good luck to all of you fellow crafters. Make sure to go check out all of the giveaways happening today at http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=805
I would say this hat would fit 12 months to 3 years.

Oh, and yes, I will ship internationally.

High School

2009-05-24T16:03:00.002-10:00

I can't believe that I have been out of high school for ten years. That just sounds old, and it doesn't feel like it has been an entire decade. Well, maybe it has. Truthfully, if I look back, I don't remember that much about high school. I think I was a little late in finding my "true identity" and that college may have had a greater effect on me than high school. Still, I think we all think about our lives in terms of what we have done since high school and what we have become since leaving public school.
Chris had his 15 year reunion this weekend. After finding out that most of his close friends would be in town we decided to make a weekend of it. Scandinavian Days, the local festival in Ephraim, was the same weekend and I was happy to make the trip just for that. They have story-telling, Scandinavian food, a parade, a 5k, craft booths and of course, large inflated things to jump in.

Lily loved the parade and was not a bit shy about going after the candy.

We stayed at one of Chris' buddy's parent's house (parents are in China) and had a great time. John and Jane are truly some of the nicest and fun people I have ever met. It is great to marry into great friends. Jane is simply adorable and we have a lot in common, so it was so fun to spend time with her and her two cute girls.

In the parade was the car Chris drove to high school! We found the car on our way to the festivities and Chris had to have a pic with the pink cruiser. Lily gained a whole new respect for her father upon learning he drove a pink car. Chris was just happy to see his old ride still cruising the streets of Ephraim, and in a parade, no less.

The highlight for the girls was the turtle that someone had just brought to show off. They had built a little handlebar harness system so smaller kids to ride it! It was hilarious!

Water = Happy. Welcome Summer!

2009-05-24T15:52:00.002-10:00

We have been having fun exploring our local hikes and waterways. Lily and her cute cousins could not resist jumping in this pond we came across on our walk last Sunday. It was all I could do to keep Lily un-naked. To Lily, a large body of water is eqauted with nudity. I think she gets it from her uncle, Richard.

I only have one question: If your kid falls asleep in the car after playing in a pond and covered in Doritto dust after eating only chips in the car for dinner, do you wake her up to bathe her? My answer, and I stand by this, is NO, no you do not. You do sponge bathe her with wet wipes, but under no circumstance do you wake her.

Sewing

2009-05-24T15:33:00.003-10:00

Here is my latest attempt at embroidery. Here is a little eye pillow with slipcover and carrying case. I love making these. It is a free pattern by Amy Butler and is just such a fun, easy thing to make for a gift or for yourself. The embroidery was a bit more complicated that I had played out in my mind. It was fun and turned out well in the end. In the middle of it I swore off embroidery and then by the end I couldn't wait to start another project. It is en route to Boston for my monthly swap.

Lily was invited to a birthday party for a little girl on our street. Unfortunately, we couldn't go as we were off to Ephraim for a weekend of High School reunions and Scandinavian Festival. I made this little skirt and whale clip for her and thought I would show it off here. I admit, I am in love with pom pom trim. It is really a problem. I want to put it on everything. I wanted to make one for Lily for about two minutes. But then, after it took nearly a full candy bar to get her to model these few shots, I knew it would be wasted on her. She will never wear what I make! Grrrr!

Here is the back view. I did not make the silk bow. I bought a few of these at Gymboree. They must have gone to something but they were on clearance by themselves for 50 cents and I couldn't resist.

Here is my attempt at a story pose. I thought I would do a party skirt, since it was for a birthday girl. I told Lily to pretend to blow out candles. This is what I got. And this is your first peek at my new house. Behold: My Front Door. More to come. . .

Pink, Paint and Puddles

2009-05-24T15:21:00.003-10:00

Nothing helps heal a sad or sick heart like getting good and dirty. Lily loves the rain. She has been begging for an umbrella to play with and finally, the Easter Bunny broke down. She calls all stagnant water "mud puddles" and love to jump and splash in any she can find. . .much to the chagrin of me, her mother, on any shopping trip or walk to church.

I have been getting many a request for pictures of the new place. I will get there, I promise. Here is a before picture of Lily's room. A couple of days after she got out of PCMC we took her to the new house to help us paint her room. I thought it might make her feel more excited about moving in if she got to be a part of it. Maybe I am putting too much expectation on a paintbrush and a two year old, but that is where my mind was. She loved it. Pink paint was abounding and so were the smiles. She did a great job. . .with a little help from Chris. "After" pictures to follow.

I have to say that is so great to have our painting, mud puddle jumping girl back. She was so sad in the hospital and so sick for about three days afterward, but now has gained weight, and is as spunky as ever. She still says after drinking a big cup of water "I drank soooo much water, the doctor is going to be so happy at me!" It is pretty cute.

What a Month!

2009-05-13T16:48:00.003-10:00

I can't believe it has been three weeks since Lily was in the hospital. She is out and well and as spunky as ever. We moved into our house a week and a half ago and have been slowly digging our way through cardboard and packing paper. We have really enjoyed our little town. We walk to church, ride bikes to Costco and stroller to the park. The weather has been nothing but friendly and we are finding ourselves liking it more here every day.
Lily has found a new pet, Circalo, the inchworm and enjoys collecting new leaves for him and 'checking' on him each day.
Today we finally got internet hooked up and found the charger to our camera so blogging should be back on in no time. I am sure that is a huge relief to all of you, my faithful readers. Note the sarcasm. Please.
As soon as I can. . .which doesn't elicit too much hope. . . I will post pictures of our new place and of Circalo.
Love, Meg

Day 4 and Moonicorn the Unicorn

2009-04-21T06:02:00.002-10:00

I cannot believe that we are still here at Primary Children's. I had really hoped we would get to go home today but Lily is still not eating or drinking well and still won't get up out of bed. I don't want to leave before she is ready, I want her to be well, but I am ready for her to be ready. She is improving each day. Today she played stickers with me for about an hour. Thank you thank you to my angel Aunt Tami who brought the stickers and pink paper last night. It was so sweet and so perfect. It was the first activity she has wanted to do for a long period of time. So she is perking up and the diarrhea and vomiting are gone. We just need to get this girl to drink! If you know Lily, this will be no easy task. She is stubborn and she really only likes water. The bummer is that the doctors don't want her to drink plain water unless she is eating. Lily doesn't eat well on a good day, soooooo, it has been a challenge. I have tried soda, slurpees, chocolate milk, all the no-no's but she hasn't fallen for any of them. I guess we need another day to get her appetite back and then the liquids may seem more appealing. I am so grateful for this awesome facility, though. We are lucky to be in Utah when this happened. PCMC is amazing and the nurses have been wonderful. If we have to stay another day or two I am glad that it is here.

Here is a story Lily had me write on her sticker pages:

It is pony's birthday, not Moonicorn's (her unicorn) birthday, it is her friend's birthday. Thank you Moonicorn birthday. I love ponies. I love pink. Moonicorn loves her friend.

Updates

2009-04-19T17:50:00.008-10:00

Not flu. ROTAVIRUS. Same basic symptoms, just more diarrhea. She has to stay until she can go without the IV for 12 hours. That means the runs have to cease running. On a lighter note, and because I have a lot of time on my hands here, let me share some pictures.

A couple of weeks ago my brother, David, had some friends over to watch a movie. They were watching on D's 5 inch portable DVD player. My mom came in and saw them and asked them "Why don't you watch it on the big screen?" She then gestured to the family's only television: An older, 17 inch model. They boys all laughed and made fun of her referring to the old dinosaur as a big screen. I guess she felt she needed to overcompensate. What better way to watch conference? Too bad for David, the projector and screen had to go back to my Dad's workplace after the conference.

We had the standard legos, playdough, and crayons for Lily, but why not a powdered milk blind taste test to keep the rest of us entertained during the talks? Now my mother can, in good faith, stock up her food storage with the most popular brand of dry milk. Yummy!

The day before Easter we had a fun party at Chris' sister's house. The kids dyed eggs, found eggs, ate eggs and made beds in the hallway. It was so fun. We had lots of yummy food and great company. It is so fun to live closer to family.

This post is so random, but I have not slept well and I am going to play that card now. Here is a shot of Lily in her smashing new outfit. I made the dress out of an old ratty tank top of my sister's (although it makes it seem more posh if I call it 'recycled') and some vintage lace from my mother's sewing basket. The hat is tiny cord with a satin lining (leftovers from my cousin's wedding about 10 years ago). She is not a great model, she will not smile or look at the camera, but she did do the pose that Chris suggested.

Sick and Sicker. . .then a bit better.

2009-04-19T05:43:00.002-10:00

Well here we are, blogging from Primary Children's Hospital. Lily was admitted yesterday with severe dehydration and dangerous sodium levels. She has had a bad bout of the flu. Friday her pediatrician gave her an IV bag and some meds to stop the vomiting. He left the IV in but by Saturday she was in such bad shape that she was sent straight here. She is doing much better than the last two days. Her sodium is normal and she is so full of fluid her eyes are a little puffy. We get to stay here until monster Diarrhea leaves for good. I am just glad to see her eat a little this morning and get a little grumpy with the nurses. I can think of little worse than watching your baby lay, unresponsive, sick and dry. Thank heaven for modern medicine. I am so grateful to live in this country with this wonderful hospital.

We will be here a few more days but she has turned a corner and will be better soon. I will post an update later with a cute picture of our precious patient.

Not Cake

2009-04-06T17:38:00.007-10:00

When we were first married, Chris and I went to a semi-formal event at SUU. We dressed up and were seated in the dimly lit ballroom on campus. The only light in the room came from the stage at the front illuminating the various ballroom dance, singing and acting performances. I don't remember the reason for the event but I do remember the red tablecloths and the yummy centerpieces. On each table was an elaborate assortment of fresh veggies, cut fruit and dip, cookies and small, bite size, pink layered cakes resembling lady fingers. We were more than willing to endure the tango demo for the free nosh.

At one point in the evening Chris took one of the dainty, pink finger cakes and took a rather un-dainty bite. He instantly spit it into a napkin and struggled to hush his dry-heaves and I, through muffled laughs mouthed to him "not good?" He mouthed back "NOT CAKE!". It was, indeed, not cake, but tiny, dainty, bite-sized tuna fish sandwiches. On pink bread. I think most savory sammies would be unwelcome by a palate expecting butter cream and sponge, but I can think of little worse than fish and mayo to be the substitute.

We have laughed about 'not cake' for years and I love telling the story, as Chris rarely gets flustered. This April Fool's Day we had another reason to retell the adage as my mother and I concocted our own "not cake".

This lovely main dish puts new meaning to 'eat dessert first'. That's not butter cream, friends, can you guess what it is?

How about now?

Meat loaf cakes with mashed potato icing. Mmmm boy! It actually was good. Maybe more fun to make and see reactions to, but still good. We took some to my sister, Tori, who was at work and the only one who didn't get hints by watching us make it. She ran up to us, actually thinking cake, and then pulled away with an involuntary 'ewwww!' when she saw the tomato flecks in the meatloaf. Ha!

Now onto dessert, uh, I mean, main dish. On the menu is chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy (I am getting deja vu here) and peas and carrots.

In real life I really don't care for chicken fried steak. I think the name has a lot to do with it. Is it chicken, steak or a combo of the both? And why is it fried? I also dislike anything with that creamy country gravy that it usually is served with. You know the kind that comes with biscuits and gravy. I apologize to my southern friends. Laura. That is why I served mine with a not so traditional brown gravy.

The true foods here are a toasted coconut covered cake, frozen yogurt with caramel sauce and jelly bellies. We had a lot of fun and made a lot of mess in prepping this meal and we have thought of several ideas for next year. We are thinking sushi, cream puffs, and more!
Happy April Fool's Day and Happy Spring.

Working titles for this blog post:

Have your cake and meat it too.
Let them meat cake.
Life is short, eat dessert first.
Dinner is sweet!

And a big thank you to my Mama for the great photos!

Clarify

2009-03-31T09:44:00.003-10:00

Thanks to all for the kind compliments on the photos on my blog. I thought I had given credit where credit is due by my little Halloween pic on the side bar over yonder right side. It says (in case you are confused if I meant your right or stage right or my right) "My mother takes great pictures" as the caption. By this I meant that my mother, Diane, takes great pictures. If you find yourself looking at my blog and thinking "that was a great shot" my mom took it. She took all the dolly shots, any featured shots on the sidebar and any shots that don't look like they were taken with one of those wind-'em-up disposable jobbies. I just realized today that it sounds like I am having Lily, who is in the Halloween pic, say "my mother takes great pictures" and thus talking about myself. I am blushing even as I type this. I would hope that nobody would think I am that desperate for compliments that I would imbed my own compliment into my own blog. On the other hand, I sort of am (that desperate for compliments), and find myself pleased that so many of you would think me capable of producing shots of that quality. Also on the same hand as the latter comment (my right hand, not stage right) I do post my sewing projects and other crafties in hopes of hooking a few sincere compliments so I really can't blame anyone for thinking that I was using my two-year-old as a voice for them. Really, either way it is pathetic.

Here is the bottom line:

I am a horrible photographer.

I love good photography so I have my mother do it as often as she will agree.

I am secretly glad when people think I took the photos that she took.

But I didn't.

Thanks mom. Sorry everyone. I can hold a handstand for a really really really long time, does that earn me any points?

Dolly Dresses Up

2009-03-27T14:49:00.005-10:00

Once there was a girl who loved her Dolly. They played together and slept in the same princess bed. The girl loved her little vintage print skirt that matched her favorite dolly. But what to do when potty training goes awry? How can we play when not matched? Simply have mother whip up some new togs and back to play we go!

Great Grandma's bedsheet made a perfect garden party skirt.

Perhaps my most favorite thing right now is looking forward to my monthly swap. My friend, Angi (crafter and cook genius and great mother, friend, photographer, maverick) and I started doing 'swaps' a few months ago in the pattern of all great crafters and wannabes. Each month we send each other something we have made. It can be anything but must be handmade. Last month Lily got a sweet Sophie doll ala The Black Apple and a matching cutesy skirt. Lily loves it and even sleeps with it at night. She loves the matching skirt but unfortunately her mean mama won't let her wear it everyday. I thought I could solve the problem by whipping up some new frocs for Dolly from my scrap pile. I was rather pleased with myself and couldn't wait to show Lily but was still met with tears. "She needs a shirt!" Sigh. I guess I should get back to the Bernina. But here are a few shots of Dolly and her new wardrobe. Oh, and I guess this is a spoiler for Angi's next swap that is now in the mail (I am behind one swap, as one of Angi's other talents is being on the ball.)

Speaking of balls, what else would a respectable Dolly wear to one than a pink tutu with pom-pommed petticoat?

I call this my 'park bench skirt'.

Be sure to check out theblackapple.typepad.com for the free pattern of the doll and other fab art and craftsty stuffs. I am in love with her prints and they will be gracing my new home. I am thinking the Milkland Carousel for the playroom what do you think?

Oh, and Angi is linked on my sidebar. Her blog has free tutorials and other awesomeness

I'm Wishing

2009-03-19T16:28:00.002-10:00

Wonder Time

2009-02-26T08:32:00.001-10:00

Sunday Afternoon

2009-02-24T19:14:00.004-10:00

Three hours before leaving for church.

One hour before church.

Ten minutes before church.

5 seconds before church. Man, I hate the afternoon shift!

Thanks, Mom

2009-02-10T17:24:00.002-10:00

My mom is a great photographer, and she gets better all the time! Thanks for these recent pictures (and by recent, I mean when just sent them to me, not that they were recently taken!)
I am not sure why I am using so many exclamation points in this post. (!!!!!)

Double Feature

2009-02-06T11:51:00.003-10:00

Rarely do I get excited about movies. I like movies, but I don't love them. There are just very few that I really enjoy or think are unique, or worth my two hours. I especially don't often get excited enough about a show to go to the theater to watch it. Theaters are very uncomfortable to me. They are dirty, loud, expensive, not toddler friendly and rarely will they pause the movie for me while I use the ladies room. I just prefer a movie at home. Maybe that makes me boring.

Imagine my surprise when it so happens that there are TWO movies coming out today that I am so excited to see I considered a double feature.

1. Coraline.

A stop-action film made entirely of handmade items. Amazing. I can't stop going to the website and exploring all the the little Easter eggs. I can't wait to see it and I MUST see it on the big screen so that my attention is full and the buttons enlarged so I can see every stitch.

The story looks cute, also, which is a plus. The pure uniqueness of it is what gets me.

At least check this out.

2. He's Just Not That Into You

Ever since Erin told me how funny the book (not a novel) was and how many laughs she and Claudia had reading it in the car one day, I have been a fan. I gave it to my sister and had her read the sometimes irreverent but always spot on self help book about standing up for yourself, giving up when it is time and moving on. When I saw the trailer, I knew I had to go. Alyssa's birthday was on Tuesday and so she, Tori and I are watching HJNTIY tonight. I will let you know what I think.

Who wants to see Coraline tomorrow?

Welcome Home

2009-02-05T19:45:00.004-10:00

Chris and I had all but lost hope. We just couldn't seem to find the perfect combination of house, area, kitchen, yard, proximity to work, etc. Every house we looked, even the three others we put offers in on, had serious flaws. I found myself hoping that we wouldn't get some of the houses we bid for.

Until this one. I saw it and knew that Chris would love it, if only because it was old. I balked because it didn't have a garage, it was further away from his work and because it was old. I love the charm and character of the older homes but all that we had seem were in scary neighborhoods or needed tens of thousands of dollars in repairs. After a few days of seeing this house online I couldn't get it off my mind and told Chris to call our realtor. Although skeptical of its location at first, Chris came around quickly. Bountiful is an incredibly walkable town with a quaint downtown street, while still offering all the amenities of a bigger city. Ten minutes outside of downtown Salt Lake City and only 25 minutes from Chris' store, it still offered the convenience that we needed without the impersonal lack of community we have felt here in the south valley. And check the pillars, can you get any cuter?

The house has been almost completely remodeled with hardwood floors, new appliances and water heater/AC/furnace while still maintaining the charm of the curved ceilings, original moldings (is that how you spell it?), and iron details.

It is a 3Bed 2Bath and sits on a scant 1/3 acre. It is half a block from a great park and within half a mile of anything. I may never use my car again! We close in March but will not move in until probably the end of April. The family we bought the house from is building a house and we negotiated a lease back option until they are finished (basically they rent it back from us). We are very excited. We have big plans to put in a garage, but probably not for a couple of years. In a few months when we are all settled, you are all invited to a house-warming party. As for now, check out the few pictures I took today and more will come! WE HAVE A HOUSE!

Food Glorious Food!

2009-02-05T06:24:00.005-10:00

It is finally time for me to blog about the food I made for Christmas. I have been waiting for my new camera to come. I don't pretend to be a photographer so I don't try to use a camera that is too fancy. I do love my new Nikon, though. It is much better than the one I had before (which I still loved, but was getting on in years). These photos are my first tries with the new cammy. I don't have photoshop or anything but iPhoto, but I still think they are a vast improvement.

Lily loves her pink kitchen, especially the faucet that has 'ABC's on the knob' (H and C). She loves to cook me breakfast (usually cookies) and makes sure I drink all of my water.

Here Lily is fixing up some lunch. She has pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni and green peppers and a swiss cheese sandwich with tomatoes and lettuce.

Take a bite, Lamby!

Kitchens are good but everyone needs a fast food fix. This is Lily's fav.

Time for dessert!

I am really so happy with how it all turned out. I wish I would have finished a few more things, but they can come later. I am taking a food break from sewing. I think they look even better in real life. Let me know what your favorite is, or what you think her kitchen is missing.

Prayers of the Children

2009-01-28T19:11:00.002-10:00

For the first time, Lily insisted on saying her prayer herself, last night. Here is her first prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank you our food and bless us be safe and bless my Barbies be safe and my pillow be safe and comfy [we recently washed her pillow and it got all lumpy and was horrible until I gave her my pillow] and my Cinderlly Barbie be in my bed [no Barbies are allowed in her bed] and my princess bed.

Name Christ Amend.

Birthday Pictures

2009-01-14T18:45:00.006-10:00

The carrot cake has long been eaten but the little princess still wears her blue gown daily. I can't believe two years has flown by as fast as it has. I can't believe that 3 months has flown by since this birthday happened and we moved to Utah. It seems that time moves faster now that I am getting older. I anticipate things in terms of years instead of days. And yet, those times when I let the dishes sit in the sink and toss out plans of a homemade meal and just sit and play dolls, the world stops spinning and for a second or a month or maybe forever, it really does feel like magic.

Photo Tag

2009-01-10T20:04:00.003-10:00

Better late than never, I guess. I am finally able to upload pictures again. (sigh of relief!)

Here are some pictures I took a while ago for the photo tag:

Something I can walk to, the view from my front door, something in my house that is red, and my kitchen. I think that I was also supposed to put in a meal that I had that day but I don't know what happened to that picture. To make up for it I will include a picture of what my house looks like when all three of us have the stomach flu. I figured it would cheer anyone up. Luckily, my family (and my home) have since recovered.

Reversible/Adjustable Party Hat TUTORIAL!

2009-01-10T14:58:00.002-10:00

Check out my birthday hat tutorial (a few posts down). I guess if you start a post one day and then finish it another it still posts it in chronological order from when you started it. Go figure. Well, let me know what you think and if you have any questions.

Love, Meg

Saint George

2009-01-06T19:18:00.004-10:00

I am having a hard time blogging. I am having numerous issues, far too frustrating to type at this time. Here are some shots from a trip we took to Cedar City and St. George. This was way before CHristmas. . .see how behind I am? We did some hiking with Chris' parents to look at some petroglyphs in some amazing slot canyons, spent a day in Zion and had fun visiting with friends in Cedar City. We can't wait to go back. I have more to write, but since this is the only thing that is working right now, I will leave it at this. Can you hear me fuming through the font? I am. Blogger beware! I have plans for you!

I love this picture of Lily in the slot canyon. What a little hiker.

Sesquecentenial Post

2008-12-17T09:15:00.002-10:00

A lot of folks in the blogosphere like to celebrate their 100th post. I noticed this a lot on the Giveaway Day. Many people had saved their giveaways in honor of their big 1-0-0. I quickly checked my count and realized I was already up to 148! Who knew? I have been working on a tutorial and thought that would be a great sesquecentenial post, however I am having trouble getting more than 4 photos in a single post. Any tips?

So, for this post, this, my 150th post, I am going to create a 'tag'. You know those things where you have to answer the questions and then pass it along. This is a photo tag. I tag everyone in the entire blogosphere MWAH HA HA! (deep breath).

Here are the rules. You must not use a car. You must not change (clean) your surroundings. Pick up your camera and take pictures of the following:

1. Your kitchen.

2. Something in your house that is red.

3. The view from your front door.

4. Something outside that you can walk to (no car!).

5. One of your meals today.

Yes, this is completely random but I have been thinking about the photo tag thing for awhile ever since my friend, Angi, posted pictures she took on a walk around her neighborhood. There is something very insightful about a person's surroundings.
Please comment on this post when you have done it so I can check out your photos! And stay tuned for my first tutorial. . .and my photos. . .where did Chris put the camera?

Reversible/Adjustable Party Hat TUTORIAL

2008-12-12T11:15:00.010-10:00

Here it goes, my first tutorial. I hope it makes sense, let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. I am sure there are better ways to to do this, but I kind of made it up as I went so there you go. Sorry, Anna (giveaway winner), you got my first trial so yours in not really reversible, and is a little small. I got at least a little better. Here we go!

1. Cut out four circles of fabric and two circles of interfacing. All should be the same size. You can vary the color and prints for the fabric. Here I have a strip and animal print that i will use for one side and two polka dot circles that will be the reverse side of the hat.
2. Fuse the interfacing to one set of circles (should be both circles of one side. . .for me, I fused to the polka dots). You can interface all four circles but I have some thick stuff right now and my first hat turned out rather thick (sorry, again, Anna).

3. Pin, then sew one circle from each side to one circle from the reverse side (right sides together). For me, this meant I attached a polka dot to the stripey circle and the other polka dot was sewn to the animal print. Leave a 2 inch space to turn the circles back. Back stitch on each side of your 2 inch gaps.

4.Trim close to your seam with pinking shears (if you have them) and then turn your circles right sides out through the gap you left.
You don't need to worry about stitching the gap closed just yet.
5. Turn your circles so the 'front side' is facing up (for me that is the stripes and animal) and overlap one circle onto the other by about 1/3. Make sure that the 2 inch gap you left is part of the overlapping sections.

6. Sew the curved section you pinned, then flip over and sew the other flap (overlap from reverse side) down. You don't really need to pin this down since it is already in place. Just don't let your fabric slip. . .like I did. . .then you get to unpick. Weee!

When you sew the circles together you will close the gap you turned them right-side-out through. Just make sure that the seams are tucked (or pressed) in.

The photo on the left is what your seam should look like if you also let your two-year-old control the foot pedal while you sew.

7. Fold the hat to make the "hat shape". For me, that means folding (kind of rolling) the polka-dots to the inside. Make sure the bottom scallops are even, then pin or glue (I glue) in place.

8. If you didn't glue the flap before sewing you will have to glue the top now. It is darn near impossible to sew all the way up to the tippy top, so just go as far as you can, rolling and scrunching the hat as you go and then take the easy way out. . .glue the last two inches.

9. Repeat the sewing and gluing of the flap on the other side.

10. Make the tassel. Cut a strip of wool felt about 5 inches wide and 6-8 inches long. The wider the piece, the longer the tassels. . .the finished tassel will be half as long as the width of the piece you cut.

I hope that makes sense. Keep reading.

11. Fold the felt and cut strips most (but not all) of the way down, like in the picture.

12. Unfold the felt and roll it so the strips are on the top and bottom of the tassel and it is all connected in the middle.

13. Sew or glue it shut.

14. Stick the tassel into the hole at the top of the hat and blind stitch or glue (or both if you are paranoid like me) it into place. Make sure that the tassel is centered in the top so that it is nice looking from each side.

15. You are done! You can reverse your hat and have a tassel on each side. And you can adjust the hat for a smaller noggin by folding up the 'cuffs' at the bottom edge like this sidewise picture shows.

Now make a bunting and napkins and give it as a 'birthday' gift to family and friends.

Sorry the pics are not so good. I did get a new camera for Christmas that is supposed to take fabulous indoor pictures. . .as soon as it is opened.

And the Winner Is. . .

2008-12-07T19:53:00.003-10:00

Anna from Anna's Nest. Her blog is amazing so you should check it out.
I tried to link it on here but it isn't working. Try annasnest.com you won't be sorry!
I also should say that I was lucky enough to win 2 patterns from Kekya Lou's etsy shop. I am very excited to try them out. Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. I hope I can do another one soon. It was sure fun to see so many comments on my post! Good luck with holiday shopping (or crafting). I am really having a hard time typing after driving almost 400 miles today. I think I should sleep and try again later when I can spell.

Happy Birthday GIVEAWAY!!!

2008-12-02T21:05:00.007-10:00

It is Giveaway day in Blogland. Go to Sewmamasew.com (click on blog) to check out the master list of the handmade giveaways today. I think there is something very valuable and endearing about something that has been made by hand. It is unique, it is worked, it is special. What better than a handmade item to celebrate the unique and special people in our lives. I am talking about birthdays people!

I am giving away a fabric celebration bunting and a special birthday hat. The banner has multi-colored and patterned triangles that will surely make any party more festive. It is trimmed with stripes cut on the bias so you can stretch it from the rafters and party like its 1999, only greener!
The party hat has coordinating fabric and a jaunty 100% wool tassel on the top. It is sure to make any child the captain (or princess ) for the day. Also, the colors for both the banner and the cap are gender neutral so bring on the boys!

TO ENTER:
Leave a comment ON THIS POST. I thought to require you answer a question but I couldn't think of a clever one. Instead, if you leave a clever comment I will put your name in twice.
I will hold my random drawing of those who entered on Sunday, December 7. Good Luck and Happy Birthday to those December birthdays (like my grandma, my cousin, Jesus Christ, and many others!)

A Matter of Taste

2008-11-29T08:33:00.002-10:00

Things Lily will not eat:

Applesauce
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
yogurt covered craisens

Things Lily will eat:

Plain yogurt
beets
Erbaviva diaper cream

Feeling Elfy. . .or Felt Elfy

2008-11-26T19:07:00.003-10:00

This probably should go on my sidebar under "what I am making lately" but I am just so excited about it that it is getting it's own post.
For Christmas, Lily is getting a little kitchen set. It is a darling wood one that reminds me of the pink one from Pottery Barn but is priced less than that of a real kitchen (like PB). To go with her new digs I thought I had an idea to make the play food out of fabric and felt. I hadn't seen much plush food but when I started researching it online there are quite a lot of culinary crafters out there. I even saw some plush food recently at a specialty toy store. I just finished the breakfast tonight and although the syrup looks more like black-strap molasses ( I may need to rework that!), I am really happy with the results. What do you think?

This is when I wish I WAS a photographer. They look better in real life. I guess I shouldn't wait until the black of night to document my projects.
I thought the strawberries would be the hardest because of the embroidery, but they were the most fun. I think I will make more. The eggs, which I thought would be the easiest turned out a little trickier than I thought. My favorite is the print for the banana peel. Can you see the sugar spots! I was so happy to find it. A lot of the fabrics I am using are recycled (thank you to my sister's and mom for their thrift store give-aways!) but there were a few things I had to have, like the vintage prints and 100% wool felt. Maybe I will try felting my own wool next time.

Next week: Lunch. On the menu? PB&J and cheese sandwiches (with veggies), pretzels, apple, cucumber slices any more ideas?

Nilsson Family Photography

2008-11-19T19:05:00.003-10:00

In the past few months I have stumbled upon several blogs from friends I had in high school. Although I knew these folks were talented I had no idea that so many of them were into photography. I think I have four friends from high school that are doing photography semi professionally and several others who are enjoying photography as a hobby. To be honest, I thought that if any one should be gifted with a camera it should be me! My mother is amazing, as many of you know, and I would think photographic skill would be genetic. As it turns out, I did not inherit the artist's eye but the photography gene may still run in my blood. It seems the photogene skips a generation. Lily love the camera, or being behind it, anyway. She always wants to hold the camera and the other day I finally let her. I showed her how to push the button and let her have at it. As you will see from the following photographs, her talent is undeniable. Her sense of focus and (insert photographic terms from Wikipedia) is amazing. I think I have my retirement locked it with this one. And really, lets be honest, maybe I should pursue that modeling career. I love how she has captured my true self.

My Burrito Overfloweth

2008-11-12T16:47:00.002-10:00

While driving by some houses Lily started her mantra “a nack! a nack! a nack! a nack!”. She wants a snack and she wants it now (for those not fluent in Lily-ese). 20 minutes from the grocery barren apartment and without even a breath mint in my purse, the Carl’s Junior drive-thru was like an oasis through the snow flurries. As we drove up to the menu I was shocked to see that the six dollar burger was actually under six dollars (something we had always joked about in Maui, where said burger is $7.25) and the menu had an additional mexican food side. This was a further bonus because Lily loves beans and will eat almost anything wrapped in a hah-tee-tee (tortilla). We scanned the choices of value menus, double patty value fries with 14 taquitos, AHA! a $2 burrito! Perfect. Get it. Let’s go. Remember the mantra is sustained throughout the whole drive-thru, Carl’s Junior rediscovery experience so it was more stressful than it sounds here.
When we pulled to window #2 I thought my problems were over (I realize there are real problems and driving with a hungry two year old isn’t one of them, but right then, in the rental car, looking at horrible houses, in the snow, away from anyone I know, I felt like it qualified) but when my would-be salvation was handed through the window to me I knew something was wrong. The bag was heavy. The bag should not be heavy. I looked inside to see at least a full gallon of refried beans wrapped in a to-scale map of Salt Lake county. How am I to give this behemoth to my toddler to eat unsupervised? And perhaps more importantly (I mean, it was a rental so who really cares?), who knew you could buy a burrito the size of a Beamer for under two bucks? I was shocked (nack! nack! nack!) what was I going to (nack! nack! nack!) do? I couldn’t hand this water balloon of a burrito back to her. I could just see the beans pouring out of the bottom of the giant tortilla like a faucet onto her tiny lap. I tear off a piece of tortilla near the edge to abate the yelling and buy some time. (I WANT BIG PIECE! BRITO!) At this point I did what I can assume any mother would do. I opened the burrito, scooped out 3/4 of the beans with my fingers onto the thin plastic wrapping paper (which is on my lap), re-wrap the tortilla and give it to Lily. Then, I lick the beans of my fingers. I glance out the window to the car next to us. That’s right, Lady, I’m eating refried beans off of my lap with my pointer and middle man and I like it, AND it was under two bucks so you tell me what is wrong with that.