Yarny and Sewy Talk

Good day to you! I hope you're having a woderful week! We are but I'm a little bummed because this winter, if you want to call it that, has been so dry and we've only seen snow twice. Both times weren't even enough to cover the ground! As long as it doesn't blizzard on the day we need to go to the hospital, I guess I shouldn't complain much. Though this morning was really foggy!

So Sunday it was a gray day in Kansas (in my part anyway) and my little Boat (that's what we call Amelia) was sick to her tummy. That was the bad part. But the good part was mommy and Amelia cuddled together in bed watching movies! I hate when she's sick but I love how cuddly she is when she doesn't feel well. She camped out between my legs with her head on a pillow, of course with Daidai by her side.

I would have posted last week but my phone, still our only source of interweb, is being a big dummy. I was halfway through my post and my app shut off. Without saving my writings. Ugh! I was just so mad I just gave up. It's been shutting off all my apps lately for no reason. I'm starting to regret having this phone. Oh well. I'll try again, but doing something different.
I've been busy crocheting and sewing trying to satisfy my own goal of getting all my current projects, which are all close to being finished, done before the middle of February. That way everyone has their goodies and I won't have to worry about it when AJ gets here. 48 days to go!

I found a tutorial on Oh, Fransson!'s blog (http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2010/02/crazy-ninepatch-lattice-quilt.html) on how to make the wonky nine-patch square. I tried it her way, messing up the order of fabric flipping, and I ended up with the same fabric in each square more than once. And my seams didn't match up enough for my liking, so I slept on it.

I came up with this! I cut out a square from a soda can box that was the same size as my starting squares and then cut it into three pieces.

I would line each cardboard piece up with each fabric and cut.

It was a lot more cutting this way but I was dedicated to making it work better. In the end my seams lined up much closer but I still did something wrong and ended up with two of the same fabric in each square, as to where you are supposed to have nine different fabric pieces in one finished square. Oh well! It looks better to me than my first try. My first attempt is the one pictured above.

That's my bump and the blanket I'm working on. I've mentioned this blanket before but didn't share the link. I found it through one of my favorite blogs, tangledhappy.com, when Sara shared it. The orignal blog is, http://www.mooglyblog.com/2011/09/21/free-pattern-blackberry-salad-striped-baby-blanket/, I still can't link on my phone, so sorry! :-/
But I'm hooking it up with I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby in such fab colors! I'll have to share the actual color names later as the skeins are perfectly nestled in a bag and I don't have to move any around but just pull on the ends and stitch away! It's very convenient!

Amelia has been super kooky lately. Well, when she was feeling well enough. She just cracks me up!

Did you know her second birthday is only days away! So super sad that it's been two years already! We've just had so much fun that it feels like it's gone by in the blink of an eye. But once her birthday party is all wrapped up I don't have much to do but wait for baby AJ. Haha, I didn't realize I would have basically a month to do nothing but wait for this babe! Unless an early arrival is in the stars for us. Doubt it! Amelia was six days late.

Oh! My friend Meg made something like this for her front door and when I saw it I knew I wanted one for our door too. Elliott picked out the colors for all of it and I simply love it! It was less than $5 because I had everything at home except the P, and it took less than 20 minutes! What a way to satisfy your need to make something! I'd love to make one for AJ and Amelia's doors too.

Besides all that we've just been hanging out and trying to keep ourselves busy. I have another quilt in the works for AJ but I'm keeping it under wraps for now. Then Elliott's anniversary blanket is just about finished! I couldn't get away with two skeins of each color so I had to bite the hook and buy a third skein for each color. I'll have enough to do a border though! So, win-win!

I don't believe I've shown you this! I made this for Amelia for Christmas but she refuses to wear it. I wrote down the pattern as I worked it out and I'm thinking of sharing it but definitely making more! Maybe someone will like it enough to wear. Anyway, I've gone on too much! I hope you all have a fabulous week!

Until next time!

But First...It's My Birthday!

*I tried all day to post this and it wouldn't post.

There are so many things I want to tell you today! But for starters; Happy Birthday Blog! Well, Saturday, that marks one year since my first post. I read back on it and it was not all that exciting. Hopefully as the year went on it's gotten better, I like to believe so! I'm going to "give" you guys something at the end of the post as a way to celebrate this last year.

So some exciting news, my mom and finally true step-dad got married for real on December 28th. He suggested to go to a courthouse the Friday after Christmas and my mom didn't want to because she knew all the family would want to be there to see it. So, my mom set up a big surprise wedding at my new aunt's house and my new cousin's husband got ordained just to do the wedding! How sweet.

But my step-dad had no idea and it went off without a hitch! Little A was also the only person under the age of 18 and everyone was just all over her! She really hammed it up with all that attention but behaved really well. Congratulations to them!

I've been busy trying to keep my resolution. E's anniversary present, yeah it's way late. But almost done! The closer I get to the finish line the more excited he gets.

I also finished and handed over my step-dad's Christmas present, only 9 days late!

And my mom's present too. Her's is a crocheted crochet bag!

With a fabric liner and a pocket for hooks and a small pair of scissors. The fabric was a remnant I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I didn't have any plans for it when I bought it but isn't it lovely? They both loved their gifts and they should! They were made especially for them.

I did fib a little though on my resolution. Little A's friend had a birthday party on Saturday and I wanted to make him something. I searched google images for "crochet lion stuffy" and ran across a lion pillow on Anna Maria Horner's blog (http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/2011/01/crochet-chronicles-1-lion-in-winter.html). She made a pillow similar to the one I made (because I used her pillow as inspiration and as a template).

We were late for the party because I had to finish this up. I think it was liked by the birthday boy. They were opening presents when we walked in and among the tiny hands frenzied to open the presents, someone grabbed the pillow and handed it to him. He hugged it and put it on his head then dropped it to ride the Buzz Lightyear 4-wheeler, I don't blame him! But I hope he liked it! It turned out just how I wanted it to, too. Though I was a little short on stuffing, but I think it worked out to the advantage of little hands grabbing it.

And Little A has been very busy lately too. She has to make rounds on all her toys daily, otherwise they don't get played with that day.

Busy playing with nana in our weird January weather, it was 60 degrees on Friday! I would like snow at least once this year so I can bundle Little A in her new snow gear and throw her in big snow drifts!

And busy hiding under covers naked after baths. Maybe she's cold? But she just started doing it this week. It's so hard to get her to come out to get dressed too, normally the "counting" gets her moving though, or a threatening "now" works too.

And we've all been busy waiting on the new Chinese food restaurant to come in! In my town we have sonic, not so great, four pizza places and we refuse to eat at two of them, a mom and pop's burger place we love but one can only eat so many hamburgers, and subway, which is now banned for us because some people got food poisoning. There's a few other places but we never go to them. And! We're also getting a Mexican restaurant! Our little town finally has some options!

I've also been busy growing a baby. Only 66 days to go! Well, I've caught up with all of my crafty goodness so here is my gift thingy to you!

My real name is Tabitha, my husband's name is Elliott, Little A's name is Amelia, and the new baby is A.J. Not revealing much more of the new baby than that. But I tell you this to tell you where "Buzzing Around The Apple Tree" comes from. When Amelia was a little baby I made up a song for her, it goes like this:

Amelia is a little bumble bee,
She likes to buzz around the apple tree,
She's likes to eat up all the apple sauce,
She likes to take the train from King's Cross.

Amelia is a little bumble bee,
With bright red hair and bright blue eyes,
She likes to take a nap in the morning,
And buzz around in the afternoon.

And now you know the great mystery! I don't know if I'll continue to use Little A and E or finally use their real names, we'll see. I hope you have a great day and great week!

Until next time!