KCWC Fall 2011

Guess what guys? I was so excited to sew for KCWC again this week. I had all these great plans for dresses for Breanne, leggings for everyone, and most importantly, costumes.

You caught the past tense back there, right? Yeah, my sewing machine has been acting up for the last month or so, randomly skipping stitches, but still working *enough* to get through every project. Well. Not anymore. On Saturday, I was trying to finish up a last minute Jessica Bunny (not Rabbit, but pretty much the same) costume for a murder mystery dinner party (so fun!), when my machine decided it was done just skipping a few stitches here and there, and decided to just skip whole rows of stitching. I have no idea why it was doing it. I'd cleaned it, and kept it oiled, and everything.

So sadly to report, my sewing machine has been in the shop since Saturday. I think (hope?) it'll be good to go in the morning, but I haven't heard anything from the shop yet to confirm that. :( When I talked to the repair man, he talked fondly about my little machine, so I know it's being well taken care of, at least.

Anyway, as soon as I'm up and running, you can expect to start seeing some projects. There are some girls who are just getting too dang tall for their dresses around here. Leggings and longer dresses are most definitely in order. And there are some serious demands for costumes going on.

Poor baby.

Trick-Or-Treat Bags

So I was recently commissioned to make some trick-or-treat bags for our upcoming Super Saturday (where the women in our church get together on a saturday to create all kinds of fun craftiness). These are not fantastic, but they're what I came up with:


You can expect a tutorial soon, as I'll be making instruction pages for the women who will be taking the supplies home to make them there. A very few details about the bags--they're made of fleece (which allows for unfinished edges without unravelling)(I'm still debating the necessity of lining them with something slightly less stretchy, but at least fleece will stretch, and then return back to regular shape, unlike felt), and the little details I sewed on for faces are all reverse-appliqued. Way easier than it sounds.

Anyone wanna make some trick-or-treat bags? When I was a kid, we just used pillowcases... everything's so fancy these days! :)

My Heart is So Happy

If you've been around my blog for a while, you might remember this post. I was pretty heart broken when we woke up to the news that the Provo Tabernacle was burning down, just a few blocks from our home. The tabernacle was in our ward boundaries--we'd attended events and stake conference there, and also had worked on the grounds. It was a special building to us, and despite its old style quirks, we loved it. Every time I drove past it after the fire, then just an empty shell of what it once was, it made me sad inside.

Well, not anymore! It was announced this morning that not only will the exterior be restored, but it will be turned into a temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You can see a rendering of what it might look like here. So beautiful, and such a wonderful transformation for the building it once was.

I can't even tell you how much this has touched my heart. Cory's been laughing at me all morning because I'm all teary about this, when I am not normally a cryer. It's just been proof to me, once again, of our Heavenly Father's love for us. The people in our Provo neighborhood will be so blessed by the temple being there, and I couldn't be happier for them. The only sadness I'm feeling is that we won't be there, to walk to the temple (instead of the hour-ish commute we have now). That building, which has been used for so many years to preach the word, will now become even more sacred. What a special, special thing.

Call me corny if you must, but I just keep thinking--They're turning a tragedy into a temple! My heart is so, so happy right now.

My New Bag

So I've been using the same bag since my birthday in 2008, and finally this summer, I decided to make myself a new one. After hemming and hawing over fabrics and styles for a few months, I found some fabric I loved, and just decided to go for an image I had in my mind. I'm sure there are a million bags like it out there in the world that probably influenced my thinking, but this one came purely out of my own head, my own measurements based on what I wanted the bag to hold, and my own way of assembling it. I really, really love how it came out.

The piping detail

the interior fabric is kind of what prompted the whole thing--it's a dusty coralish color, and I LOVE it in real life. Pretty here in a picture, but 10 times better in real life.

During the process, there were several moments when I questioned myself (most especially when I was trying to turn the straps, made of 3 pieces of corduroy for durability, plus the piping on the edges, which was where the real trouble was...), but seriously, now that it's done, I just love this bag. When I make this style of bag again (notice the when, not if...) I'll put a pocket inside, but in the meantime, I'm just enjoying the simple beauty of this bag.



I made this bag back in July at a RS craft night, but I'm finally posting about it now because I've decided, last minute, to enter it into the Purse Week competition over at A Lemon Squeezy Home. I don't expect to win, but I do love my bag, so I'm happy to show it off a little bit. :) Wish me luck!

PS. I'm also linking up to AmyLouWho's Sew and Tell for fun. I'm so glad she's back!

What's That? with Cailin

This video may start out a little bit slow, but around 30 seconds it gets super awesome. I recommend you watch it.

Meanderings

I'm sorry it's been a while, guys. Things have been just a bit crazy over here, with two big humanitarian aid events finally finishing up the last few weeks (that's what I'm doing for my calling these days, and I love it, but it's definitely kept me busy), as well as regular life with school drop-offs and pick-ups, playing, birthday-ing, and all manner of other stuff. It's been a really great couple of weeks, but super busy. I am grateful for the next week, in which I only have a few scheduled engagements. I'm just so tired! And no, I'm not pregnant. Just the regular bone-tired.

All this tiredness had me thinking today. Yesterday was the General Relief Society Broadcast for our church, and I loved all the talks that were given--several moments I was sure they were written just for me. But, oddly, more than that, I found myself thinking back to the last broadcast. I don't remember much of what was said, but I do remember going out for ice cream with some really dear friends after it was done. We had a great time, and I remember thinking on that day just how lucky I was to have such wonderful people in my life.

I think our move was so sudden that I hardly had time to mourn the friends and place that I was leaving. I try not to think about it too often while I'm here, too, because I don't want to dwell on sadness. It turns out--I love this place we're in, and I love the people here, too. I remember wondering, as I left Provo, how could I ever find another Amanda, Georgia, Holly, Lesley, Cindy, Michelle, Laura, Linda... all these names, and so many more. We truly loved the people we were with. And don't even get me started on the primary kids. How was I ever going to live without them all, seeing them every week?

I somehow realized yesterday that I am never going to find another of any of them. And I know that you can never really go home again. But at the same time, I love now knowing Kimberly, Tess, Tracy, Nancy, Ela, Britney, and a whole host of new names, and I can't imagine my life being complete without knowing them, too. And all I'm left thinking is how difficult it is sometimes to move on. We have all this wonderful technology that keeps us all connected, but it's so hard sometimes to still be connected--it's a very real reminder of what we're missing, no matter how happy we are in our new spot in life. I feel so torn--betraying those I left by being happy here, betraying those who are here by missing those back in previous stages of life.

Maybe I'm just too tired tonight to be thinking about such deep stuff. But mostly, I just want all my friends, from all the stages of my life, to know how much I love and appreciate them, and what we've had, whether currently, or in the past. I was changed by each of you, and I am so thankful for it. I can't imagine my life without you having been a part of it. Thanks for continuing to love me, too.

Poxed Again

So Janey started preschool last tuesday... but the sunday before that, I noticed a small rash on her side. I figured it was just something she'd rubbed up against while working in the yard with Cory, and didn't give it much (enough?) thought. When it hadn't gone away by Weds, though, I started to worry, so I talked to a nurse friend we've made here. I sent her a picture, and almost immediately she told me she thought it was shingles.


So we finally called the pediatrician I've been planning on taking the girls to at some unspecified point, and she confirmed my friend's diagnosis.

What the crap? Shingles? Seriously? On my 3 and a half year old? I thought shingles was a stress-related illness?

Well, it is. Apparently when you have chickenpox, it stays in your system (that's why you never get it again), and attaches itself to a nerve. Whenever your body is stressed, if it affects that particular nerve, it can result in shingles showing up. That's why it's always just on one side of the body, usually in a sort of stripe from the front to the back. Shingles, itself, is not contagious--it's something your body does to itself. If, however, someone with shingles comes into contact with someone who hasn't had chicken pox or the chicken pox vaccine, they can pass on chicken pox (but only through fairly direct contact with the sores). So even though we were out and about for 3 days before we figured out what Janey has, the chances of her having passed it onto someone is pretty slim, since she mostly keeps to herself, and the majority of kids she hangs out with are vaccinated. Still, ugh.

Anyway, so if you'll recall, a little over a year ago, in July, Cailin got hit hard with the chicken pox. Shortly thereafter, Janey also came down with it, even though she'd already had her first chicken pox vaccination. Her case was extremely mild, only resulting in a handful of sores that healed in a few days. I thought we'd seen the last of the virus in our house.


(You can see Janey's original chicken pox on her face here--just a couple, very mild bumps).

Well, apparently, something is super stressful for Janey right now (preschool? hair cut? seriously? she's 3.5!), and it brought it on. She seems to feel fine, though perhaps slightly more tired than usual, but I feel terrible for her--I wish I knew what was so upsetting to her body that it reacted this way. Anyway, we're almost done with it--like the chicken pox, we're just waiting for scabs (my favorite kind of thing to wait for, haha), and I think we're getting close.


Mostly, I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come--I want my healthy girl back!

Janey Starts Preschool!

Once again--Not this brand new baby anymore:

Not this happy adorable one year old:

Not this crazy eyed demon two year old. :)

She isn't even this just-barely three-year-old anymore.

Nope, she's a great big preschooler now.

Ready with an outfit she chose (with slight disappointment that the skirt she begged me to make the night before her big day was pink, until I showed her that it matched the flowers on her shirt, and came with white leggings)

a backpack she helped pick out fabrics for (contents=some papers for her teacher, a water bottle and snack, and her blankie for show and tell...love her!) that she actually gets to use this year (turns out Breanne has to use a clear backpack, so can't use hers, long story short):

Yep, she's excited--

And she's ready.

And so am I. Mostly. Even if Cailin isn't so sure.

Yep, that's right. Janey is old enough for preschool. When did all this growing up happen?

Oh Kids

Do you ever just feel a need to start a post out with a big ol' sigh?

*sigh*

Today has been one of those days. Crazy kids, not enough sleep, barely making it through Sacrament meeting... just long. And then we got home from church, ate some lunch with grouchy kids, and sent Breanne and Janey up to B's room to play while C napped. Breanne came down to get her scissors, and told me she was going to be cutting some paper and fabric with them. Which we've been doing a lot of lately, so I was fine with.

Fast forward 1/2 hour or so, and in walks Janey with a new hairdo.

I actually had the audacity to think, just yesterday, that maybe we'd somehow skipped this childhood rite of passage with Breanne. Shoulda knocked on wood, I guess. Honestly, I think the pixie sort of cut looks pretty cute on Janey, but I wish it was something we decided on together. I was so shocked by it all that I didn't even think to take a picture of the sisterly cut job, all these are post my fixing. Breanne actually did a reasonable job, but I can't encourage this by telling her so and taking pictures!

Just in case you can't remember what her hair looked like before, here are a few pictures I took of Janey on Weds. after she asked me to try to make her hair straight (and I worked on it for 20 minutes with a brush and blowdryer and mousse):



I'm hoping the curls will come back.

Sometimes I feel like closing a post with an extra sigh.

*sigh.*

Kindergarten!

So every now and then, it just kind of hits me that Breanne no longer is this baby:
Or this 18 month old, lining up her monkeys:

Or this 2 year old, trying on my tank top, socks, and shoes:

Or this just starting preschool girl:

Or even this sweet 4-year-old 4th of July sister:

No, no. She's been all of those things. And now she is this: my full-blown, kindergarten girl:

Picking out her own outfit, hairstyle, and bag fabrics. That's my girl. :)

So ready for her first day.

Standing outside her classroom:

Just a little nervous still:

Braving the playground on her own! Does she not seem just so little compared to all those big kids? (Well, she actually is, as this is not the kindergarten play area, as we found out, but still...)

Chilling with mom before it's time to go in... with a wink:

I'm so proud of my big girl. I love you Breanne, and I can't believe you're already in kindergarten. I'd appreciate it if you could just slow down, just a little bit, even though I'm trying to love every minute of you growing up.