Helloooooo, gorgeous

As hard as it was to leave this little face, I'm at work today. And I am stitching the September Itty Bitty Kitty Quilt square.  I hope to have an update to show you soon.

It must be bad

Left-brain and I were sitting around last night, after Babygirl had gone to bed. He turned to me and said, "You never stitch anymore."  I told him he was right. I don't. Not like I had been. A lot of time, I feel like I am neglecting the baby if I stitch, since she normally dozes off for 15 minutes and wakes up, and I am also a little scared to use the scissors I have re-named Christine around her. I have good reason.

 Remember this?

And this?

It even went after Icy Dragon.

Maybe my demon-scissor theory is correct. So, you see, having those around a small child is not a good idea.

So he says, "We need something for the fair."

I got serious for a moment and asked him what would be the point in stitching things for the fair, since it was hard to find money for framing pre-baby, and harder now with hospital bills and supplies for her (I am SOOO buying stock in the formula company, y'all).  He said, with the confidence in his ability to provide for us that he always has, that by the time the fair rolls around, the money will be there.  I could have cried, but, instead, I picked up my Itty Bitty Kitty and started doing the September square.

Really, I didn't do a lot of stitching, but I managed to read a lot from when I got put on bed rest to now. I think I have mentioned (ad nauseum, in fact) that I had a huge stack of books as my to-be-read pile prior to my sewing room becoming her nursery. I am slowly working my way through the pile, along with several boxes of books I brought home from the ones I have at my mother's house from my single-gal days. Most of them I bought used, so I have been, as I read, deciding if I want to keep the book forever. It's amazing how easy it is to give up a book if you ask yourself, "Will my life be richer if I keep this book or will I be OK with passing it on?" Usually, I can give them up, but I keep the ones that are profoundly moving. I might regret doing it one day, but I buy most books used, so it's not a big deal to go replace them.

So, what did I read this summer that I loved?

Before Green Gables. This is the prequel to the Anne of Green Gables series. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I found myself laughing and crying and feeling for Anne and what she went through, and then overwhelmed at the innate ability to survive and overcome that some people have. Maybe that was what always endeared Anne to me, she was a survivor, never a victim.

Dewey's 9 Lives. I don't normally like books about animals that die--I have three old dogs and three old cats, I don't like to be reminded that they will pass away. And I never read the Dewey book--I bought it, but never read it. But this book and it's message that it's OK to love an animal with all your heart, it resonated with me. The cats filled a void with these people, saved their owners' lives a lot of times. Humans expect to be applauded for such tasks, animals just do as a course of life. I did have to read it in small doses though; I am not a masochist, LOL.

In the Fall. This is the story of a slave girl who nurses an injured Union soldier back to health. He marries her and brings her back to Vermont. Their relationship has consequences that affect their family for generations as they try to understand the past. It was a book I have had for years, bought in the bargain bin when I first realized that you could read other books than the ones on the New York Times Bestseller list, and I never read it til now, but I really enjoyed it. It felt a lot like the writing style of Cold Mountain, but it is a very different book, haunting in a different way.  It is not, however, an easy book to read, but it's a worthy book that deserved a lot more publicity than it got.

The Tea Rose. This book was very popular, but it was popular for a reason. It was set against the jack the Ripper killings in Victorian London and features a heroine who bootstraps her way to success. I read this in the hospital after delivering and it was EXCELLENT.

The Dark is Rising. these are based on Arthurian legend, and the two that I have read so far are HEART-POUNDING. They are children's books, but adults can get something out of them.

There were a lot of other books that I read that maybe weren't wonderful, but were OK. I read a good bit before, but having the luxury of time to read, and an abundance of reading material, that was new to me. One of my greatest hopes for my child is that she sees me reading, enjoys being read to, and becomes a passionate reader herself. We haven't yet delved into her library, but I think I am going to start that this week, since she can at least look at the pictures now.

Anyone read anything great this summer?

The reason we never send out picture Christmas cards

You know the kind.  Happy families, dressed in matching sweaters, taken in a beautifully-decorated room. Usually accompanied by a letter telling, in detail, every good thing the family did that year (or, in the case of some of my extended family, why their year sucked and you should feel sorry for them).  My birth family has never done that--heck, my mother found out they made cards she didn't have to sign and she was happy! Left-brain and I sent out one with one of our wedding shots on it two years ago, and I felt so awkward that I didn't do it last year.

We went to my father's family reunion yesterday. I don't see my father and brother much, neither does the baby. My brother travels a lot for work, and my father, well, that's a side story that would take all day. DB hasn't seen the baby since the day she was born, and she doesn't look like the same kid.  So I thought it would be a good idea to get a family picture.

It was muggy and cloudy all day, but the sun came out at the end of the day. Kaydence is not a big fan of the sun yet (I'm not a big fan of it for her either. ) My mom left the baby's pacifier in the building where the reunion was happening, so Kaydence started crying. I started to sing to her. My father chose to sing a different song that Katie (their nickname for her) has never heard.  My poor brother, poor Unca Luke, who, despite his fear of dropping her, is actually quite attentive to his niece, just wanted to get the picture taken. My cousin Dorcas took the picture.

Remember, I am the mayor of Crazyville.

Things don't always work out too well here:

The Clampetts take a family photo.

It seemed like a good idea at the time . . .

I signed up for a Christmas ornament exchange a few weeks ago. It was something I really had to think about doing since the baby came and I don't have a lot of free time. But, I figure, if I am careful with my time and use it wisely, an ornament is something I can get done pretty easily and without a lot of problems.  We got our partners today. My partner is from Italy, and I am so excited to stitch for her. It's a lot of fun to have a partner in another country, I like having a small piece of other culture's Christmas celebration on my tree. I do have to finish the Halloween ornament I stitched for another friend first, though. May try to get that done this week.

I will try to get that picture

Welcome, September

August is gone, fall is right around the corner. Funny to think how fast this summer passed. Our first week at daycare went well. Babygirl seems quite happy and likes Miss Julie, her teacher. They send us home little "What I Did Today" sheets which make me laugh. They tell what the kids did all day, and the other day, it said they listened to music and played with ice cubes. OK, now I see her listening to music, because she loves music, but she doesn't know how to work her hands very well (other than grabbing hair or my necklace), so she couldn't actually play with ice cubes. I asked and they said she just kind of hangs out while the other kids play. I picture her in her vibrating chair, asleep, while everyone else plays, LOL.  She does get tummy time there, and they can't believe how strong she is.  She is still small, 9.5 lbs at two months but it must be all muscle.  She is starting to roll over for them, and she holds her head up well. It gives me no end of motherly joy when she holds her head up and smiles, even though spit up normally follows--arggh.

No stitching really got done this week. I attempted to finish an ornament, but I don't really like how it turned out. It's an LHN ornament, and I just don't like the color of the trim. I'm at work now, and can't post a pic to show you what I mean, but I'll try to get it done before the end of the weekend.

You ever have one of those days?

Before I get to the point of this post, let me share some Cute-ness. She was quite happy this morning.  I thought this looked very "first day of school", even though I never had Guess as a kid.  It was probably partly because Guess jeans are not cut for a Pennsylvania Dutch body (at least not the female body) and because, in 1987, $60 was A LOT of money to spend on a pair of jeans. But on her, they look adorable. I told her I would be brave if she could be brave and we went to school.  And then I had to kiss her and tell her to have a good day, and I lost it. At least I got out to the car before I started sobbing, but I probably looked stupid, running out of the daycare.  If only she'd been asleep, it would have been OK.  She spent most of the morning asleep, she drank 9 oz of formula, and, when Left-brain went in to get her, she was in the jumpy chair, asleep.  Exercise wears her out.  Hopefully tomorrow will be easier.

I decided to clean up my side of the garage in order to distract myself, since I was watching TV, and a baby cried on TV and I got up because I thought it was my baby.  Left-brain took care of most of it, which makes sense because most of the mess is his stuff. But I seem to have developed amnesia because there was a HUGE tub of cross stitch magazines I was not aware existed.  And, yes, I uttered a curse word when I opened the lid. More out of shock than any other emotion.

There's a line in Sex and the City where Carrie states, and I am paraphrasing here, she has no savings because she prefers to keep her money where she can see it, and spent it on shoes. I know I have quoted this line before, usually jokingly, but seriously, in addition to the boxes upstairs, and the ones in the corner, and the tote bag of stitching magazines, and the half-full box I knew about, this one was there. Not only do I keep my money where I can see it in a bad investment, apparently I hide it from myself  and then deny to myself it exists. But, there it was. I decided to go through it, take out the ones I thought I might stitch from in the near future, and then consolidate boxes, to at least get an idea of the proper size of the collection. It really wasn't too bad. Most everything from that box and the one I knew was half full fit together in one box, I put the kits in the other box, and have the charts to go into binders or chart boxes.

One of the things I am grappling with, though, is the fact that so much of this has been in the garage, un-noticed, un-cared for, and unappreciated for a long time. At least two years, but there is a stack of magazine boxes in the corner that I haven't opened since I moved in. I know one of the basic things they tell you in organizing is that you should get rid of things if you haven't looked at them in this long. Does that apply to craft supplies?  As I was pushing the one now-full box of magazines back into position, I kind of wondered if I could use them all as the basis of a master's, since I have enough to qualify as an expert and, hey, it would be nice to be a "masters" stitcher, right?  A little stupid humor, forgive me. But, I know myself well enough to know that I would not be happy getting rid of them either.  This probably does mean I am a hoarder . . . doesn't it?  I joke about this, but part of me does wonder, how bad of a hoarder would I be if a professional actually looked at my stuff?  At least it's in boxes and not on the floor. I did tell Left-brain when we move, that big box is going to be a killer. He thinks I am fooling, I am not!

And the crazy thing, I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND the LK Flip-its I rebought in the fall of 2010 and lost. Not that I lack stitching projects, but where in the HECK did they go?  And why can't I find them? I'm a stitcher, not a squirrel, and these are charts, not acorns!  They didn't get buried. I remember them being in my old computer bag, but they are not there anymore.  This is the second time I bought them, second time I lost them. I have been through every box in the house and they are not there. Wierd wierd wierd.  I am going to rebuy them and stitch them one at a time, so that I don't lose so much.  Strange, hunh? 

I also found a box of books that had disappeared, among them Little Heathens, which I was reading when I first got together with Left-brain. It's a great book. I know, I don't often recommend books on this blog, for the reason that I know my opinion on books isn't well-schooled and not always in conjunction with the rest of the world, but I really do like this book and am going to re-read it now that I re-found it. I now have a good supply of books to get me through the fall, by shopping in my own garage. Didn't even need Goodwill for this!

If I could just find those Lizzie Kates . . .

Checking in

It's been a while, but I haven't stitched very much in the past two weeks.  Left-brain and I have been fighting a heinous cold for the last week, and it's taken all our effort to keep upright.  Monday, I had such bad chills, I had to wear a sweatshirt all day, and slept with 4 blankets.  It wouldn't have been so bad, but this was my last week home with the baby and I was miserable most of it. 

She starts school tomorrow. I have another week off, but this lets me ease into letting her go to daycare without having to keep myself together for work. I have been getting a bit emotional for the past couple weeks whenever I think about it, even though I know it's how it has to be, particularly with the current state of business, but it doesn't make it easier to think of my tiny daughter being away from me.  I have to send her out in the world now, and I don't want to.  I never in my life thought it would be this hard to do this--I was Rachel, who never wanted to be tied down, who took a lot of her self-worth from work, and now, all I want to do is cuddle her.  And take pictures of her, LOL.

I know it will be OK.  The staff is kind; she smiled at Miss Julie on Wednesday when we visited. I know she'll take good care of her.  I'm going to try to not call during the day.  I think it will be better for me not to do so.   Then, when I get to go get her, she won't know how I worried about her. And I do think it will be good for me to get some stuff done while she is not here.  I have to renew my car license, and there was all that baking I had planned to do before I realized you don't bake in a house with a baby without some other person there.  I might get the naps I haven't been able to get in 8 weeks. I have some ornaments to finish.  So I'll have some work to do to occupy my mind. But when I go get her, someone is getting kissed and kissed and kissed.

Where has the time gone?

 Has it really been almost a month since I posted last?  Oops.  The time is slipping away fast from us. It's hard to believe it's been 3 months since I've worked out of an office and that Chubbity just turned 6 weeks old.  She is starting to smile with a purpose--Sunday, I was dancing to entertain her, and she smiled at me. I guess I looked kind of funny, but today, I told her she had a "biggg boo-teh" because of how her diaper was fitting and she smiled again.  It makes me happy to think she thinks I am funny. She starts daycare in two weeks, a week before I go back to work, and I don't know how I am going to handle it. Since she was born, I haven't been that far from her all day long, and it is hard to think that I have to start letting someone else look after her for 8 hours.  But, it's what has to be done, and I have to be a mom and put my feelings aside and be happy that she has this opportunity.  I am grateful we got into this wonderful daycare, and I want her to love it there.

I have gotten a little stitching done, not so much as I would like, but it's hard to find time. I do like these little projects, so much easier to complete in between cuddles and feedings. Today she was playing with my threads, maybe I do have a stitcher in the making.

This is my Itty Bitty Kitty Quilt progress for the past two months. These were a little more trickier to do than other months.  Lots of color changes in the one for August. This photo doesn't do it justice.

 And my progress for the year so far. 2/3 of the way finished. I love this project. 

 This is the a freebie by Jean Farish. I finished it in the wee hours of July 1st. Kaydence had just been wheeled into my room, and was lying there, looking at me, and I was too scared to sleep, in case something happened to her.  This will go on a keepsake box for her, so it was appropriate for her to watch Mummy stitch it. 

 And a finish by Pam Kellogg, from her Millenium Cats series. I was looking at these charts, which were freebies I printed off in 1999, and got to thinking that they would make great ornaments.

 The Halloween one, Spooky, is for a cat-crazy friend, but I am going to re-stitch it for myself. The WIP below is Thomas, the November cat, which will go on my fall tree.

 One of the things I have noticed has changed this year is that I am not so much drawn to Halloween designs and decorations, but really to fall items in general. Maybe it's because I don't have a lot of "fall" things in my stuff, or maybe I am drawn to the idea of warmth, abundance, family and contentment that fall symbolizes to me, but I am digging fall stuff.  They have a lot of pretty things at Joanns, including some chocolate brown placemats. I keep thinking how pretty they would look on my dining room table, with my cream tablecloth, and the new cream and red dishes that we are going to buy to replace the ones DH had from his single days.  I will wait til they go on sale, if they are still there, well, they are meant to be mine.

This is a very special WIP I started, from a chart taken from a photo of Kaydence holding my finger with her hand.

I think this is her index finger, but I am not sure yet. The chart is very easy to follow and I am making really good fast progress.  I can not wait to see this progress.

You can kind of see, in the background of this picture, the clipboard thing I am using to store the chart while working on it. I found this at Walmart this summer, in the school supplies.  It has a clipboard, but also has a storage compartment underneath that holds the threads, needles, scissors, and the WIP itself. It's a slim compartment--big highlighters don't fit, but small ones do--and I am really pleased at how well this works for this project. I am sure it will work great when I have other projects in there with fewer floss colors to work with. It was a bit of a splurge for me--I think it was $6 or so, but I'm on a budget now--but I really like it. I haven't seen them in regular Walmarts, just the bigger supercenters, but if you are looking for a storage solution, this might work for you.

That's all for today. Chubbity is starting to fuss, so I have to run. I will try to write more faithfully now, but it's all dependant on her demands. I hope all are having a great summer, and looking forward to fall.