Baby Girl Quilt Episode Two...

The quilt top in progress...



Soft pink flannel and white circles...can it get any more girly than that?



And my trustworthy sewing buddy, who has to be convinced to stay on HIS side of the bonus room:



He is holding a plastic orange, and there is a plastic leaf of lettuce in his long apron because, you know, why not put lettuce in your pocket?

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Baby Girl Quilt Episode One...

Every well made quilt starts with a pattern. OK, first an idea, then a pattern. A pattern that actually uses measurements. And remember, always measure twice, cut once. Watch out though, rotary cutters are vicious.



All the pieces laying on my floor. We'll just call it the "Design Phase". My entire bonus room is in a perpetual "design phase" of 2 or 18 crafts at once.



Yep, I'm liking how this is turning out...



Time to start piecing it together...

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Craigslist Rocks...

I was having a hard time finding a not too girly car seat that wasn't too boyish. Did that make any sense? I don't want ALL pink and ALL flowers, but I didn't want (like) the gender neutral patterns.

I DID know I wanted a Graco SnugRide, as we used one before with Bubbalu and loved it. Plus, it is a Consumer Reports Best Buy. Sounds good to me.

So I'm a strolling through a baby superstore a month or so ago and see an adorable pattern that is PERFECT. Chocolate brown with some pink and hint of sticks.

I am a girl who loves some sticks.

Here it is:



The Cherry Blossom line from Graco.

Perfect! OK, let's go pick up the car seat and we're done shopping for the day.
What's that you say? You CAN'T buy the car seat alone? You need the entire travel system? Uh, I already own a perfectly capable stroller, thank you very much!

Enter Craigslist.

I searched around hoping that someone might have fallen in love with the travel system but no longer needed just the car seat.

I DO realize that my chances were slim...

But guess what? I FOUND IT. I think I jumped up and down and embarrassed the neighbor with my victory dance in the front office room, but that's OK by me.

Check it out:



Ahhh, it STILL makes me smile. Less than 9 months old, in SUPER shape, a GREAT deal, no car accidents, all manuals and papers with it and...

...drumroll please...

the matching swing that was ALSO less than 9 months old, in SUPER shape, a GREAT deal, no car accidents (although a swing in a car accident would just be weird) and all manuals and papers included with it!



And yes, I did need a swing. I didn't just cave in because it's cute. I had borrowed one when Bubbalu was a baby and was in need of one for this little girl.

Don't you just love a good deal? Should I also brag about my new boots that I got for $20 that are originally priced at $79?

No? Too much for today? OK, maybe later...

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ANOTHER Precious New Bundle!!!

Discover The O'Neill Brothers!

I know I'm late to get this posted, but I want to give a huge inter-shout-out to Nat n Megs, the proud new owners (parents) of our newest nephew, Skyler Sean...



Catching a quick snooze with Papa:



Skyler Sean was welcomed into this world 9/21/08 weighing in at 5lbs 8.5 oz. He is adorable and sweet, isn't he? Who wouldn't want to take this precious monkey home?



Congrats Nat n Megs, we love you! Welcome to the world Skyler! We're working on growing you another cousin to play with!

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My Favorite Lunch...

1. Take one Costco cheese bagel and toast it.



2. While bagel is toasting, fry one egg in a perfect circle ( Ha! As if that's possible! )



3. Spread generous amount of light cream cheese on bagel once it pops.



4. Throw that perfect circle of an egg in between those bagel slices and you have a perfect, my toddler is down for a nap, lunch.

YUM! I've gotta go eat my cream cheese n egg cheese bagel now.

And for dessert? THIS:



As if there was any other option!

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Aloha!

Last Friday evening we went to a surprise birthday party luau for one of my dear Aunts. A good time was had by all, we got kinda silly and had some good ole fun. (My family is kinda nuts, but we are proud of it!)

Because y'all have been hounding me, here is my belly shot...even though my eyes are closed and the sunglasses make me look like a bug. A tropical bug, but a bug nonetheless.



Mama's little tropical bug:



Complete with flower leis and blue tractor:



And then we got decorative inklings and turned him into this:



Why? Because it's FUN.

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The Sewing Craze Continues...

My sewing machine has been really busy this fall. My parents were kind to lend me the wooden cradle that I slept in as a baby. However, the dimensions are smaller than the cradle sets sold nowadays, so I created...

from this:

this!:

Here's a hint. Having a baby? Redecorating a room? Buy a few extra curtains or flat sheets if your set comes with them. Then, you have yards of matching fabric to use to make pillows, cradle sheets and bumpers, quilts, throw pillows, boppy covers, matching basket liners, etc.



I JUST started on my baby girl quilt and will post about it's progress soon. The basket liners are next on the list and will hopefully come together in the next few weeks.

As you all know, my fall crafting has had a single minded focus.

What are all of YOUR fall crafts?

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Addicted to blogging?...Nah!

70%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Well well well, Ms. BrownEyedGirl. I bowed to your petty challenge, and look who is coming out on top.

How addicted to blogging are all of YOU?

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From Drab To Fab...

In the interest of maximizing girliness and minimizing financial irresponsibility, I've been busy turning my 2 drab boppy covers from this:



To this:



BIG improvement!



Pardon the model taking up so much of the pic.

They are my first attempt at zippers. What was I so scared about? They aren't that hard! A zipper foot does help though.

Check out the green zipper I put in the second cover (thanks Mom!) :



Gives it a little fun.

Plus, the yummy, very washable flannel cost me less than 6 bucks. Oh yeah baby, our budget LOVES me!

I was tempted to get the matching boppy and cover for the set that I picked out, but just can't justify spending $49.99 on it.

It IS beautiful though, no?



Oh well, that just means I have $44.00 to spend on other fun things, right?

I'm such a good saver (wink wink)...

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Big Boy Truck Bed...

We moved Bubbalu to a big boy bed about a month ago.

I must admit the whole process was kinda weird for me, emotionally. My sweet baby is growing up and looks SO TINY in his new big boy bed.

When I took him home from the hospital at 5 pounds he didn't exactly fill his crib either:

He really was VERY tiny.

So, as for the big boy bed, we have had one fall-out, 2 get out of bed and play instead of sleep, and no leaving of his room.

How can this be? What made the transfer so smooth? What are my secrets?

I have NO idea. I just don't know.

But, we did buy him sheets that have trucks all over them:

And also splurged for the matching truck toss pillows:

The truck pillows and sheets are endless sources of excitement for Bubbalu. He is, after all, obsessed with trucks and cars.

But, he is ONLY allowed to play with the truck pillows ON his truck bed, so there is a sense of it being a treat to go and sleep in the truck bed.

I also used a basic bed rail so he wouldn't fall out in the middle of the night (which I purchased for the outrageous price of $1.00 at a thrift store).

The funny thing is, he stays in his room until I come and get him. When he wakes up from his nap or in the morning, he plays with his truck pillows or goes to his book bin, grabs some books, and gets back in his bed!

I know!

Of course, now that I've posted about it I am fully expecting a relapse.

I'll keep you updated...

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Jump Frog Jump!!!

We took Bubbalu out to our brother Alec's cross country meet a few weeks ago. It was sorta crummy weather, but Alec ran great.

The highlight of the trip (sorry Al!) was when I spotted a tiny green frog jumping his way across a huge field. Bubbalu was VERY interested:



I see it Daddy! I do!



OK, I really don't see it. Daddy where is it?



Silly Daddy put it right on my boot!



Mommy? If I am a VERY good boy today can I take my froggy friend home?



Not today sweetie, fish are all that we can handle right now...

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An Apple (or Eight) A Day...

I was feeling quite Martha today. VERY ambitious in the culinary department.

My parents have 4 apple trees and I have a paper grocery bag full of apples just begging to be peeled and chopped into goodness.

So, after Bubbalu was down for his nap (hallelujah!) I rolled up my sleeves (actually, I had a t-shirt on, but WHATEVER) and got to work.

While he recharged his battery I managed to create:

• Basic Pumpkin pie


• Apple pie with crumble top
  
• Apple spice bundt cake
  
• Apple crisp (which I donated to my sister)


• Autumn minestrone soup


• Pumpkin Spice Latte (recipe to follow sometime soon)


• A VERY messy kitchen

Whew! And that t-shirt I was wearing? Completely covered in flour and a few speckles of apple chunks.

I think Mama needs to make herself some adorable aprons, such as this one from Better Homes and Gardens:



or this one I found on Etsy:



Or this sassy red one, also on Etsy:



Hmmmm, my sewing machine is calling to me...

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Tickling The Ivories?

This is where I found Bubbalu on September 20th:



He was pretty proud of himself.



I thought, "how cute!" Bubbalu is starting to learn how to climb!

This, however, 4 days later, was NOT cute. More like...uh...terrifying :



Of course, did I grab my baby and whisk him down to safety? No. I ran and grabbed the camera to take a few shots and then rescued him. Besides, what's more fun? Me telling you a story about what he did or showing photographic evidence of the craziness that is Bubbalu?

Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say.

People often ask me why I'm so tired with this pregnancy. "You're in the 'feeling really great' time of pregnancy, right?"

Just look at the above picture. 'Nuf said.

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Decorated Windows...

What happens when your toddler finds a random misplaced tube of lipstick:



I managed to swipe a huge blob of it off his face before the picture was taken, but check out the bottom of the window. Seem kinda...pinkish?

Thankfully, Windex cures all, right Mr. Portokalos?

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The Craigslist Posting...

Wanted:

Creative or basic entertaining young toddler activities. Preferable length of activity to last at least 20 minutes. Minimal preparation and clean up a must.

Please respond promptly to 1-800-Mama-is-losing-her-mind.

Thank you.

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Cozy Toes...

Do these socks make my knees look fat?



Yeah, I thought so.

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Hiking Again...

We went hiking a while back in September as a family.

Jude did especially well in the backpack carrier, even mimicking our panting when we stopped to catch our breath and grab a gulp of water. It was his first attempt at mockery and can I just say? He pulled it off.

We finally made it to the top, flopped to the ground, ate a lovely picnic lunch and let Jude run around a bit.

Hiking feeds his soul:



Clearly, eating lunch feeds ours:



Daddy, wait for me!



First documented Jude scramble sighting:



I'm almost there!



Hmmm, still not quite there yet...



Ta-da! I did it!



Aren't I just the cutest hiker ever? And stop worrying, you nervous ninnies, Daddy is hiding right behind that big rock I've just conquered:



Mommy and I played with rocks for awhile while Daddy explored:



Just another great family day enjoying creation:



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