Kelby's Quilt

I did it, I finished! Feels like I've been working on this quilt forever!! It is one of the largest I've made (his mattress is a Full, but I made it closer to Queen size, just cause it worked out that way), so it was a bit more time consuming. Plus, not using a pattern is definitely more fun, but probably more time consuming too. Worth it, I think :) I should mention that this quilt was inspired by this lovely quilt.

He's been pretty attached to it all day. Rolling himself into a cocoon inside of it, laying it out flat and trying to break dance on it--in his undies. If you didn't notice, he doesn't love wearing clothes these days. When we're home, this is his uniform.

He's a happy boy :)

And I get to sew other things, woot!

4!

That's right, my little baby boy turned 4 yesterday! Nope, can't believe it. When my oldest was 4, I had two more babies. Not the case with this one. I find it rather more enjoyable! And sad. I dunno. My baby is 4, regardless of how I'm feeling about it, ha! Last night he had a bad dream and ended up in bed with me, which has not happened since he was tiny. What a gift to wake up with him curled into me! *sigh*

We had a little party for him over the weekend and it was soooooo much fun. The weather was perfect and the kids had a blast with the slip n' slide and the sponge bombs I made (adapted from this idea. I was too cheap to buy a mop head and shelf liner, so I only used sponges and it worked out fine.)

There ya have it! Pardon the lack of commentary. I have a quilt to finish binding!!!

radio

As a stay-at-home mama, I am thankful for the radio. It's a minor thing, maybe, but when I think about going without it, I can't imagine! NPR makes me feel a bit more connected to the world at large, I love K-Love, both for it's music and for the positive news stories and having the radio on in the background just makes me feel less alone in the house (well, I have my kids here, obviously, but you know what I mean).

Today I want to share some radio favorites!

I LOVE podcasts. I usually clean up my house for a good hour in the afternoons, while the kids are either outside or watching a movie for some down time. I find it much easier to get into the cleaning groove if I put in my cute pink ear buds and cue up a podcast on my iPod. I've blogged about podcasts before here, but I want to add a few more recently discovered favorites!

I think way back in the comments on that post, someone referred me to the This American Life podcast and it's been a favorite ever since. Right after my return from China last month, I listened to their "Americans in China" episode (what a coincidence!!) and loved it. Having just been there, I found myself saying things like "Ohhhhh, that's why...." and "Aha! I knew it!" Everything these guys report on is very entertaining.  If you like Radiolab, which is one of the most popular podcasts out there and my #1 fave, you'll love This American Life.

Another one I've been liking a lot is Stuff You Missed in History Class.  These episodes are little shorter, which is nice sometimes and cover all kinds of fascinating topics. If you have older students, they will love this too--it could be a cool tool for homeschooling.

If there is any content in any of these podcasts that may be inappropriate for younger audiences, they will always tell you up front. These are not Christian organizations, so just be aware that not every episode is appropriate and there have been two or three that I have not finished because of this. But, those have been few and far between. All the podcasts I've mentioned can be listened to free online or subscribed to free in iTunes. I like to subscribe and then upload them to my ipod whenever there are new episodes.

Now for music! Natalie and I are loving this song lately:


And all the kids and I love dancing to this one!
I have some favorite non Christian artists and songs, but find myself almost always turning on Christian radio. It's good for the spirit, both mine and the kids. I love me some Norah Jones or Jack Johnson or Paul Simon while I'm cooking dinner though!

Last week I got this little cutie at Target:

It's nice because I can move it easily around the house with me without having to unplug my big dock and carry it from room to room. It would travel well too. Yesterday I took it outside during Kelby's birthday party and we listened to the Tangled soundtrack while slip n' sliding haha.

Another favorite listening toy is my Skullcandy ear buds. The white ones that came with my iPod (and every other Apple device--I'm pretty sure we have a dozen of them) are too big for my ears. They're uncomfortable, they don't stay in when I run and they tangle up easily. The Skullcandy ones don't tangle, they come with different sizes of the soft pieces to fit all ears, they stay in, even when running, and heck, they're just cute!
Casey got these pink ones for my Christmas stocking last year:

 Your turn!! I'm always looking for new entertaining podcasts, music, listening toys, etc... I'd love to find a worthwhile podcast or two for kids. Most of what I've found for kids is pretty lame.

Happy listening! :)

thrifty thoughts

Casey and I share a love of thrifting. We both really love unique, vintage things and over the years, our styles have meshed and we almost always agree on house projects, colors, decor ideas, etc... Other than my handmade things, I think it's the "found" things that make our house and anyone's house unique. Here are some of the things we've found in recent months:

We scored this chair from the 60's at a Goodwill while on a date (yes, we like thrifting that much hahaha!) Casey spotted it and we didn't get it at first, cause we were in the small car. But, we were still thinking about it the next day, it was only $10 and it's perfect for our bedroom, so we went back and grabbed it. Plus, did you know Goodwill gives a military discount?? Well, now ya know :)

 Love it with my bird quilt! The vinyl is in perfect condition and so is the wood. It's rare to find mid-century modern pieces in this great of condition and for that cheap!

 OK, not vintage or rare, but still, we are loving this calendar--so much better than the big poster-style one I got before last school year that would NOT stay on the wall, no matter how much sticky-tack I used!

 I got this little strand of birdies at an estate sale--actually this is the only thing I bought. It was half-off day, so I got it for a dollar. It's always special to me to find handmade things like this and take them home to appreciate. I hope my handmade things go someplace where they're loved when I'm gone.

 Another chair! The vinyl on this one is perfect too! It was $2.99 at Savers. The stack of linens came from an estate sale--also in my neighborhood, also on half-off day and at a house with the same floor plan as the other one. Coincidentally. A few of these are headed to a friend for part of a housewarming gift. I bet she knows who she is, but I bet she can't guess which ones ;)

 Casey was in Kansas on Army business a few weeks ago and found an usual amount of vintage Corningware (seemingly harder to find that Pyrex pieces) and bought them for me, then proceeded to carry them on to two more flights, in a plastic grocery bag, to get them home. What a guy! This one's my fave and it's funny because I have a matching loaf pan that I found recently too.

When I really think about it, I buy hardly anything new anymore. Toys, clothes (mine and the kids'), furniture, all come secondhand--thrift stores, estate sales, consignment stores, Craigslist. I buy fabric new, but on clearance.  I buy shoes new too, although not before agonizing over the price for a couple weeks, ha! But, really, there's a way to get almost anything cheaper. It takes creativity and patience, but that's the fun part!! I do know I'm lucky to live in a city with amazing thrifting options and this might not always be the case for me, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Fall patterns!

Does anyone get super excited when any one of the major pattern companies puts their new season of patterns up online?? Or stalk the sites daily just to check if the Fall lines are out yet?? I DO! I loooooove looking at the brand new designs! I'm liking a few that are already out and am anticipating the latest from the late-comers. But, first, I wanted to share this top I made before my big trip:

It's McCall's 6359 and I used a rayon knit I found on major clearance at JoAnn:

 The racerback is my favorite part of this pattern:

I shortened it quite a bit to make it less of a tunic. It's not my favorite top, but I love that it's light and easy to wear, does not require a cami (cause it's too hot for that!) and I do like the back a lot. I would like to try the other view on the pattern, but it includes a built-in shelf bra. I can't pull that off (nor can most women!) and I wouldn't really know how to omit it. Oh, well.

On to the Fall patterns!!!

Several bloggers have already said hilarious things about the ridiculous styling and positioning of the models in Vogue's new patterns! So weird!! It's hard to even see past the awkward poses to the lines of the garments! So I'll post the pictures of the gals standing normal :)

I really like Vogue 1315:

It's a simple, but interesting long sleeved knit dress. I can see this worn with skinny jeans, or made a bit longer and worn alone. I like it. The pockets are cool, the neckline finishing is different and I think it would a good casual dress for my everyday.

I don't know if I'll actually buy 1317, because I'm not sure I'd have much occasion to wear it, but I think this dress is very classy and has that Mad Men vibe that is so in right now. The only way I would use it would probably be for a Christmas dress, but even then, I don't know how comfortable it looks and I like to be very comfortable in my clothes, even the structured ones.

Vogue 8829 is one I looked right over twice, and can you blame me? Look at this awful fabric choice!!!

 EEK! But, look at this version, where you can actually see the waistline seam:

Much cuter. The other views are all nicer than the mock-up. This pattern has potential. Bad call, Vogue, on the crazy shiny green fabric, though.

Some Simplicity patterns are out too. 1755 is the only one I like (other than some of the costume patterns!)

 

 That plaid and green version is hideous, but the gold dress is stunning!!! I don't know how much sense it makes in the colder months, though, so for me it might become a summer pattern--unless we suddenly get invited to several formal events where shoulder-baring would be normal ;)

I must be in a Fall sewing mood now, because here's my haul from Denver Fabrics last weekend:

I can see a color palette emerging! And I'm liking it a lot.

K for Kelby

Someone left a mean comment on my second Mongolia post--anonymously, of course. I started to get offended and delete it, but then I decided the comment is just petty and uninformed and well, I got a bit giggly over it after awhile. So I'm gonna leave it there and let it roll off my back, without trying to defend myself over something so dumb. I think there's plenty of forums on the web for people to argue with each other, and I'd like to keep this blog a happy place, if that's okay with all of you ;)

On to what I've been sewing!!

I started a quilt for Kelby quite awhile ago, but since his birthday is coming up in a few weeks, I got busy! I want to finish it and cover him with it while he's sleeping so he'll wake up to it on his birthday. He has seen the progress, of course, but it will still be a surprise :)

I finished all the blocks this week and bought the sashing fabric today (a great medium color denim!)

 I think this block is my favorite:

 And, I had to make a K for Kelby block!

The gals at Denver Fabrics who were helping me choose a denim were making me feel mighty good about these :)

Besides the denim, I got some great fabrics today! I have plans for each of them, but they're in the wash now, so that post will have to wait a day or two.

Think I'll go make some positive and encouraging anonymous comments on some random blogs. Ha!

Ni Hao

That's Chinese for hello :) But you probably knew that from Ni Hao, Kai Lan, if you have small children... and cable.

There are some people in this world who have that certain "look" and somehow magically blend in, wherever they go. Dark hair and eyes, they can look Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, European, anything. Our family, with blond hair and blue eyes? Well, we are definitely NOT the blending in type. In China, where foreigners are scarce, we stood out like sore thumbs. My sister and I constantly got stopped and asked to take pictures with Chinese people. The funniest was when they tried to sneak pictures with their phones! There was no anonymity, especially adding that we had maps open and our noses in a guidebook whenever we were out. We quickly formed a routine: to borrow my Mom's words, "get lost, eat, repeat". That pretty much summed it up when we were on our own! Thankfully we had a tour guide for the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs and the Temple of Heaven. We learned so much from her!

Enjoy my favorite photos from Beijing!

Bikes everywhere!!

hehe

We rode this guy's rickshaw to a restaurant that we thought was right around the corner. After an hour's ride, several stops for directions and many phone call by this guy to the restaurant later, we found out--it was closed. This happened a lot, actually. A bunch of stuff that must have opened before the Olympics, must not have been in it for the long haul. Like the Starbucks at the Great Wall, for example.

A view of the Hutong district outside our hotel, from our hotel room window:

At the temple of Heaven. They used these big cauldrons to burn sacrifices:

The Forbidden City. Super crowded!

A highlight for me was definitely the Great Wall (despite the let-down about the Starbucks, haha!)
Jana and I climbed up the steps for an hour and got super high up there. It was SO fun and we were really sweaty, but that did not stop people from wanting our picture, inviting family members to come, hurry up and get a picture with the white people and from getting in my face with a video camera. SO weird.

Mom discovered this beautiful place while we were climbing. It was so peaceful.

And this is my favorite pic I got of the three of us...

Annnnnd, finally, on the last day, after being lost a few times, look what we stumbled upon...

It was not the same, in case you're wondering. But, while China does tea like no one else, they are terrible at coffee, so for the first bigger-than-a-shot-glass coffee I'd had in a week, it sufficed ;)

My first text to Casey on my arrival in the U.S. was, "Ah, back to the land of coffee and personal space." It's good to be home! But, I am SO thankful for the opportunity to have traveled! To Asia, of all places! I got to see and experience what most Americans never get to and I am forever changed. Thanks to my Mom and Dad for the trip of a lifetime.

I am so excited to get back to my sewing, homemaking, daily-life-happenings style of blogging! I've made a dress and two shirts that I haven't shared yet, I'm working on a quilt for Kelby and I got some pretty cool souvenirs that my fellow textile lovers will definitely want to see :)