Sunday Stash

Found these in the remnant bin a week ago at Walmart (we only have one in the area now that kept their fabric, and I am glad it is only a little bit further than the one I normally frequent). This Walmart actually has two fairly large bins on each end of the cutting table for remnants...there was quite a bit in each and had I had unlimited funds I would probably have brought more home. All in all total I spent about $10.

The purple fairy fabric was 1 yard 8 inches and was about $4. It became a pillowcase for T. I thought I had taken a pic of it completed but I haven't yet.

The Thomas and Friends fabric is less than a yard, and was a little over $2. Not sure what I will make J... he wants another pillowcase but there is not enough material. I have thought about getting some solid red cotton fabric to border around it....haven't made up my mind yet.

The middle fabric of the pile was the best find... not sure exactly what it is but it reminds me of a twill...it is blue/white check... and a little over 2 yards for $3.40. I am going to make myself a pair of casual shorts with it and I know I will have some leftover for maybe a smaller project.

I also bought some tracing paper last weekend to be able to trace and make patterns. So I will be tracing my favorite pair of shorts to be able to have the same fit in the ones I am going to make myself. If they turn out as good as I hope... I will actually post a pic of me wearing them.

Happy Sewing!

I need sleep.

Sleep. An elusive word to me right now. I covet it, I try my best to get it, if I don't I feel like crap. Lack of it truly is affecting me. And yet night after night I don't get enough rest.

Ugh, I wish I cold blame the issue on insomnia. At least it would be something to blame besides the kids. Cause I don't want to put blame on them...they are kids it's not really their fault (in fact I am pretty damn sure it is my fault somewhere along the line) but night after night at least one, or the other or both constantly wake up. Usually it's T. Tonight it's been both.

I don't know what to do anymore. I have been trying so many things... short of ignoring, especially when T gets up, because I just can't, otherwise she will wake Jim and J up. Yet, I know that she constantly calls out or gets up because she knows I will come to her. See the catch 22 there? I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't.

And it is basically for nothing. Bad dreams or needing a drink? Fine. I can deal with that. Sick? I am very understanding of that. There are times I go into her room and ask what is wrong and I get silence. Or "I want you". Nothing else. So then I get frustrated, and sometimes I get short with her (but only after the 6th or 7th time I have had to get up). And then if another member of the family gets woken up and listens then I get accused of being mean. And, he'd be right...I can get nasty. Nothing inappropriate of course but sometimes I really have to well...threaten to get her to stop calling me, crying, getting up, etc. in order for her to go back to sleep. It is taking all my energy to stay calm.

As I write this I am sitting on J's floor dealing with him. He has night terrors and talks in his sleep. I think he has even dome some sleepwalking a few times. He gets it from me (I once jumped down a flight of stairs in my sleep and landed upright...I am surprised my mother didn't have a heart attack on the spot). I am much more patient with this as there is a reason and I know that it will get outgrown. But that is not fair to T. Poor girl.

I'm lost, tired, fed up, and about ready to give up. I don't know what to do. I wish someone could help me. I haven't found advice yet that has really worked. I figure that maybe they both will start sleeping better by the time that they go to college, right? And I am not going to even get started on the problems getting J to actually go to sleep at night..... The problems are my fault anyways so I guess I will just have to live with it.

They are so cute when they are sleeping though.

Random Thoughts

Playing hooky tonight even though I really need to sew...I just don't feel like it.

Hubby just made me feel like a teenager again, trying to sneak sex in where we can...

I am sick of the clutter upstairs in the closet but lack the motivation to clean it out.

Just made S'More Cookie Bars and think I did something wrong with the dough... I bet they taste fine though it looks very messy on top.

Did I mention I had some great sex not too long ago?

J is starting to talk in his sleep..hope he is not up and down all night because of it.

I really should be doing something other than sitting on my butt in front of the computer.

Church picnic tomorrow...looking forward to that.

Made Jay his pillowcase last night and he was an excited little boy when we put it on his pillow this morning.

I had the best sex I've had in a long time...though it usually is good...this was better.

I just told hubby's best friend that if he didn't like his shirt he better not throw it away but give it to me and I could refashion it into a dress for T.

My hubby is now using my jewelry box as a charging station for his cell phone too and it irritates me to no end to have to deal with both his and my phone cords when trying to open it.

And yes, I have mentioned church and sex in the same post. :)

Have a nice night.

3 year stats

28 lbs.
2' 11 1/2"

Jay is still little but continuing to climb upward so it is pretty good. We are being referred to an endocrinologist to have his growth hormone checked.

I just need to be patient with his eating so little and his horrible sleep... it will get better. (insert sighing here...T is 6 and still sleeps like crap.)

But he is healthy and generally a very happy kid to be around (except when he is hungry and tired...see above issues...insert another sigh) so overall I am pleased.

Over two years later his tubes are still in his ears...wonder if that's because he hasn't grown much since then??? I'll have to ask the ENT when we go back to him for a checkup. ;)

And, no shots today which made him happy, and we went and spent his giftcards which made him even happier. All in all a busy but successful day.

I have a 1st grader now!

This year just flew by... I can't believe Kindergarten is over.

From the first day:


To the last:


She hasn't changed much on the outside really, do you think?

Happy Birthday Jay!

My little man,

How you have grown this past year, yet you haven't. We are still worried about your size; height and weight, but you seem to be healthy overall. You weathered a gluten free diet for almost a year and now we can say successfully that you do not have Celiac nor do you have a sensitivity to gluten at this point. You are still anemic and not growing as much as you should... so another referral to yet another doctor is in the cards..but we shall get through it.

Your language has just exploded lately and you crack me up with some of the things you say. I missed this language development with Tommi and it pleases me to no end to hear you talk. I am amazed at just how much you like to talk... but you do come by it honestly... you get it from me. Even talking in your sleep...I wish sometimes you were a little clearer when you talk then... Daddy and I would probably be laughing for sure at what you are saying.

You are a fun little boy...but you do have your crabby moments.. boy do you have your crabby moments. They do seem to be centered around hunger mostly...yet you don't like to eat much...so I still wonder what may be going on there. I love watching you play and explore and discover. Your brain is learning so much... I still can't believe that you can count to ten and sing your alphabet, and even identify some of your colors. Yellow is your favorite at this point.

And speaking of favorites... you are really into Cars right now... Lightening McQueen or "Highwayway" (that's what you call him currenty) and Mater are your favorites. You also love Thomas the Tank Engine and Motorcycles and Monster Trucks and School Buses... and the list could go on. You like to get into things that you are not supposed to.. and are so independent it makes me frustrated sometimes when I need to get things done and you are wanting to do it yourself. Then other times you say you can't and I need to do it. I guess you are still a little wary of being too independent you don't need me and Daddy, huh?

And you are basically potty trained (not night trained yet but I am not in a hurry), can ride your bike with training wheels and well, that list can go on and on. It has been a good year overall... and I am so happy to be your mom (sleep issues and all).

I love you Jay Bird.

Love,
Mommy

Work in Progress....

Got lots of things on my plate right now... but it is mainly work that is increasingly stressful. This is T's last week of school... I can't believe her Kindergarten year is almost over. I am working on a couple of tote bags for her teacher and her SLP... I have them cut (well...almost, I need to cut the straps tonight). and I will start sewing them tonight. They shouldn't take long.

I have some UFO's that I need to work on over the course of this week and a baby gift I need to cut out and start. I also have a post I am working on about my sewing machine... I just need to get a pic of my machine for it.

Tomorrow is Jay's 3rd birthday and I want to set up a post for that... including a pic of the shirt and cake I made him for his party.

Busy, busy, busy...that is me these days...

My Machine

It's Sewing Machine Month over at Sew Mama Sew! So, in honor of this month... I am participated in the Sewing Machine Meme. So, relax and I would like to introduce you to my machine. :)

What brand and model do you have? A Kenmore...doesn't seem to really be any specific model... except for the long model number on the back/manual:

How long have you had it? I got it Christmas 2001. It was the first Christmas after my husband and I got married. He got a digital camera and I got my machine. It was a good Christmas.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? I believe it was right around the $200 mark at the time.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? I started out basically with just apparel (that's what my mom mostly sews) and some mending of various things. Since I got more involved with some sewing mamas over on Mommy's Online I have branched out to bags, purses, home projects, and basically anything that I can find a great tute online for. I would love to learn to quilt.

How much do you sew? I have been sewing a few hours a day most days lately. How much wear and tear does the machine get? Daily use, pretty much.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? I have always liked her. Are you ambivalent? Nope. Passionate? Getting more passionate about her as I sew more and more and discover more things she does. Does she have a name? Nope, but I am starting to think that she needs one. Anyone have any ideas?

What features does your machine have that work well for you? Everything works pretty well. I don't do too many fancy things.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? My long arm, free arm...whatever you call the part that you hem sleeves and such on. I wish it was a little thinner so I could get the sleeves of baby clothes over it.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! No awesome story unfortunately.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Sure. Why? For basic sewing I think that it is a great starter.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? Depends on what you want it to do. In many ways I am still a beginner... so I am not a good one to ask.

Do you have a dream machine? No specific brand or model.. but I want something that can quilt and embroider. I would also love a serger.

Befores and Afters

So I stumbled across this great tutorial and decided that I needed to recover my ironing board. And luckily enough I had some great material in my fabric stash so it didn't cost a thing! Can't beat that when $ is tight...that is for sure.

Check out the pics... my ironing board was looking pretty shabby:


Yes, those spots of white are fusible interfacing.... I had accidentally cut into the cover during a sewing project (note to self... do not use ironing board as a cutting table) and I needed something to patch it with.

Hey- stop laughing...it's called using your available resources.


And without further ado... though I do need to apologize for the bad pics...none of them turned out fabulous even though I tried taking them during the day as well...

Here is my new ironing board cover...and I am very happy with the way that it turned out.

Close up of material...it is black and white on the red background (again...sorry for the crappy pic)


It only took me a couple hours total including cutting... though you can't quote me on the time cause I am notorious for cutting things out and then setting them aside for days and sometimes weeks... but it was really easy to do... and I will never buy a cover again.