Workspace coming along

I posted a few weeks ago about cleaning out the guest room for Tricia... who decided to move back towards Anderson. In the process of all of that I was setting up shelving and cubbies for my yarn, fabric and other crafty things so that they had a place of their own out of little hand's reach and off of the kitchen table. So far, so good... it's coming right along, and I thought you might like to see! It's still not finished, but great progress is being made.

Just something as simple as thread organization is huge to me. Can you imagine digging through all of this thread in a bin in order to find one spool? I can, and it's a nightmare. This just thrills me. :)
Soon, we hope to move the bed out and pt up even more cubes so I can spread out a bit more and I would love to get a cozy chair and move my floor lamp in too. A quiet knitting corner, as well as a great place for a daily devotional. *sigh* :D

Chaos of Progress

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

I know this does not look like much more than a very messy room... but this is two days worth of work for me. Tricia is moving in and the guest room needed clearing out. We are making into my studio as well, hence the wall'o'cubes since they are great storage. The crib is sold, the computer table is gone, papers are shredded, and lots more things are up on Charlotte Mommies to be sold off. Whew. It's work, but it feels good to be getting it done. The room will be clean and cleared for Tricia minus the wall of cubes to be lovingly organized with beads, fabric, yarn and scrap book supplies. After Tricia has moved on the bed will go and in will be a few work tables and my sewing machines. I am excited. Excited because we get a month or few with Tricia around and excited because I can finally move my supplies to a place where I can see them and not wade through buried boxes to follow through on a spark of creativity since right now I have to keep wandering hands away from things. There are yet more cubes to construct and things to be put away or sold... I have a lot more work ahead, but this feels good. It is the chaos of progress.

Sorry!!! Updates on all fronts.

Ok, so Jack is climbing on the the table now, did that around the 8th. He climbed up and then stood right on the edge.

Doreen and I have been going to knit night at her fave yarn store. We learned last night that she is closing. :( However, I got some very good sale buys from it. I have yarn to last me awhile, I think.

Dory has me busy, I have made some streamers for her for Christmas; I named them 'Fairy Trails'. I have even sold a few to other CM mommies. I am also making something called an iSpy bag. My 1st one was cute enough, but a learning experience... Doreen has embroidered fabric for my second and final version. I am excited to get to it.



Also in the craft front, I am working on a wool purse to felt... knitting it. Doing well. AND quilting new Christmas stockings for all of us. I made mine first in case I did poorly, but it came out nicely today. I was going to make the rest tonight, but I'm writing instead.


Dory properly used the word 'befuddled' today... John said it was from the TV. I guess it's not all bad, I was befuddled as to where she would have heard that word!

Grandma and Grandpa Raymond have bought her a play kitchen for Christmas, I am very excited for her to get it. I think she will be in heaven.. I have made an apron and bought some wood food to go with it.


Jack is getting a wooden handmade pull cricket (you might see it off to the right in my Etsy faves). It is even better looking than I expected and I expect him to love it. I also have for him some of his own wood food so he will have some to play with along side Dory.

I'm getting so excited for Christmas, I have made so many of the things myself... other things are Haba and Plan toys as well as Melissa & Doug. It's a no plastic Christmas. :D

I went to a doula sleep over earlier in the month, I had a great time seeing Lara and the other ladies. I wish I saw them all more often.

I turned Jack's car seat around finally... it seems to be going fine this time. Remember last time he screamed bloody murder? It' sad to me on one hand, but it is so nice to have the extra room in the Matrix.

Also with Jack, we had such issues with the Christmas tree after John and Dory decorated it I started putting him to bed in the toddler bed. I had to get him down early... well, it is going well! He goes down around 9 now and wakes at 11 and goes right back down. Dory was thrilled the first 2 nights, but the third one she declared that she didn't want him in there anymore since she had to be quiet. It is nice not to have him right on my lap all night asleep. John has been a bit sick, so I have been sleeping with Jack until John is no longer contagious. I love him, but not his germs... LOL. I did crawl in beside him without Jack one night, but I could not sleep a wink. It was a huge relief when he woke up and I had to go and get him. I am not ready to stop co-sleeping yet. But, it is nice to have a bit more freedom.



Jack's birthday present finally came in... a Wheely Cow, from Auntie and us. He seems to like it, but at first he was not too sure.


I got Christmas Postcards made up, but never sent out. Maybe they will be New Year's Cards. LOL So, if you were checking your mailbox, I am really sorry! It will come, even if really late.



Okay, That's all for now. I know there is more as well as pictures... but it will have to wait. It's the busy Christmas season after all!

Merry Christmas!

Franchesca the Giraffe

She's a bit sleazy... but then, she was special ordered that way.



And, no, I will not make you one. I not sewing any more puppets. They are not particularly easy. I nearly took the end of one of my fingers off making her.

Sewing

1. Well, I did get John's Mei Tai finished... it has Yankee logo navy blue fleece on one side and a cream colored cotton baseball print on the other. John was really pleased.
2. The other one that I managed to finish was Becky's buckling Mei Tai. Beta version 2.0 looks like it is a winner. I finally have the correct pattern going! Straps and buckles are all in the correct place. It feels good to have it finished, she's been wanting me to fix the other one for about a month. I finally just started it over rather than ripping it appart to move things, it was just easier.
3. I have cut all the pieces to MY new Mei Tai, but don't know when I will get finished. Maybe I'll get it finished later tonight.

The Ring Sling

  Apparently, I didn't do too badly, Becky declared it felt great and snagged it to take home for a few days! That makes me feel better, apparently it is just this massive bump in the way. 

Let's see....

News....

Nesting,
The crib is back up in it's new life as Jack's bed. :) Another thing scratched off the nesting list. Now I want to paint glow in the dark stars on Dory's ceiling as a treat for her. A house cleaner is due by in another week to help us with the layer of dirt and dog hair we have. Now, if I could just get the home birth supplies cheaply rounded up without patronizing Wal-Mart, whom I boycott.

Pregnancy (33 days till due date),
Yesterday my hips started hurting like HELL. The pubic bone hurt a few weeks ago, but this is certainly different. It's excruciating to move at times in certain directions, so I am trying to keep up with my exercises -- they should help some.
I actually read last night that -seriously- belly dancing is supposed to help in labor and contractions. So, yep, I'll break out the belly dancing kit that we got last Christmas at the Sunday School White Elephant party and start practicing. (Attached to it was the pic of a newborn in the class-- a warning of what use of this would do for you. There was quite a bidding war on it! We then created a waiting list for it... And we are all due in the next two months. Apparently the waiting list is dangerous too....) Maybe the finger cymbals will help.... I wonder if the little stick-on jewels will stay put during a waterbirth... humm.....
Anyway, other than that, I feel great still and this am was the first time that my ring finger was swollen enough that I was not sure I should be wearing it, it did come off easily though... I still don't swell often or for long.

Sewing,
I finally got my hands on some PUL (waterproof fabric often used for dipes)(Thank you Sharon!!!) and made a diaper hanging pail/liner for upstairs so that I don't have to remember to bring every singe one down until wash day. And the whole thing will go straight into the wash. Now to make a wet bag for the diaper bag as well.
I also made my first ring sling.... And it might just be the HUGE belly in the way, but at the moment, it is just NOT comfy.... Maybe the fabric is too stiff still... I guess I'll figure it out soon. On that same subject, I am very close to having a buckling Mei Tai up for sale on my sling site, Ba has the FrankenTai prototype at the moment and is keeping me informed of all of it's shortcomings.

Food,
And, now on a food related note, we started this week with a local food co-op for natural foods... We get 100% grass fed organic raw milk, cheeses and meats straight from a farmer twice a month and order our other foods such as cereal and regular items from a catalog once a month for 20-40% off grocery store prices! That is on top of our organic produce delivery we get every two weeks... And let me tell you, the apples are the best! The three groups will cover just about everything except the massive amounts of bananas that we go through every two days and the horrible for you treats that we will occasionally still want to consume. It feels good to have it pretty much figured out before Jack got here and I was too busy to learn how it all works. This also means far fewer trips to the grocery for us, something that I think will be quite enjoyable.
Also, John is on another wonderful bread baking spell. He has in teh past two days produced some of his all time best loaves. One Half Wheat & Rye loaf and one Oatmeal Raisen loaf. Yummmmmm.