Nearly Wordless Wednesday: Reno at 8 Months

Thankful thought:  Thanks for soft puppy faces, and picmonkey.com, which helps improve my photos!

Jewelry Tree Handmade by Creative Youngest Daughter

Last night, I heard power tools humming in the garage.  Next thing I know, in walks youngest daughter, carrying a cute jewelry tree. 

She made it by taking wire and bending it at the end.  She took a little piece of wood and drilled holes the size of the wire, then inserted the wire into the holes.  Finally, she spray painted it all white.  The whole process took her about 1/2 hour. 

Oh, did I mention that she makes her own jewelry, too? 

Thankful thought:  Thanks for the creativity of my children.



Happy Mother's Day!

My mom called me the other day just to tell me how much she enjoys reading my blog.  She said all the right "Mom" things to say:  I could write a book (if I wanted to), I could be a speaker (again, if I wanted to), I am as enjoyable to listen to as the pros. 

Now, those statements reflect more on my mom than on me. 

She's always been a great support.

She taught me skills and spent time with me.

Above all, I have always known that she loves me.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! 

Thankful thought:  Thanks for my mom, my grandmas, and my mother-in-law, each of whom has been a great support to me.  I'm so lucky to be associated with such wonderful, strong women!

Easy Baby Blanket Tutorial

I recently purchased a new sewing machine.  My old one sewed temperamentally, balking and complaining most of the time.  While I felt a bit bad buying a new one when the old one still had life in it, I'm amazed at the quiet ease with which the new one operates.  Not only does it seem happy to be working, it offers me quite a few different stitching options. 

My fabric stash tends to grow if I'm not careful, but with a new machine, I felt motivated to turn some of the flannel stash into baby blankets.  What an easy project!  Here's what to do:

Start with two different pieces of fabric, 1 yard each.  Flannel shrinks quite a bit, so make sure to wash, dry, and press the fabric first. 

Next, you will need to square up the fabric.  Fabric isn't always cut squarely at the store, and then it shrinks in the wash, so your two 1-yard pieces probably won't be identical.  Here is how much my pieces differed:

If you use a rotary cutter with a mat and ruler, you can easily square up the fabric.

Then, with right sides together, stitch around the flannel (I used a 5/8-inch seam allowance), being sure to leave an opening on one side.  I left about a 7-inch gap, so it was easy to turn the blanket right-side-out after stitching.

Before turning right-side-out, though, you'll want to trim the corners, so they will lie flat. 

Now for the fun part! Turn the blanket right-side-out.  There's just something satisfying about seeing what it is going to look like completed. 

At this point, I suggest pressing the seams.  It will make this next step go more smoothly. 

Once the blanket is right-side-out and pressed, top-stitch around the entire blanket.  This will close the gap in the initial stitching, plus it allows you to embellish a bit with decorative stitches or trim.  I used a contrasting thread color so the design on the back fabric pops.

I love the front fabric, too.

Here's the complete blanket:

And here it is with an ABC book, all ready for gifting:

Four women I know are currently pregnant, so I think I need to stitch up a few more blankets!  Fortunately, this quick, easy, economical, and fun project results in a soft, comfy, and useful gift!

Update:  One reader wondered whether or not the blanket would hold up without stitching in the middle.  I washed the blanket and didn't notice any problems--perhaps I might have, had the blanket been larger.  If you'd like to add stitches in the middle, feel free, but I'm comfortable with it as is.  Thanks for the suggestion, though--I love comments! 

What are your favorite make-it-yourself projects?

Thankful thought:  Thanks for gift-giving opportunities!

Patience, Please. Blog Makeover in Progress

You know the feeling you have when its been too long since your last haircut, and you just have to do something about it right now--even if it means wielding the scissors yourself?  Well, my mind has somehow decided I need to update the look of this blog today.  Stat.  So, please be patient.  If you're checking in and think, "I can hardly read the heading," don't worry.  I know.  I'm working on it.  Hopefully the final (ha ha--until next time I change things up) result will be worth it. 

Thankful thought:  Thanks for your patience!

Drying Rose Petals: AKA The Garage Smells Great

With my son's wedding date fast approaching, I'm starting to realize I have a lot to learn about putting on a wedding reception.  (The bride-to-be is from another state, so the wedding and one reception will occur there, and we will hold another reception here.

I scour pinterest for ideas, and try to think of what we have already, and what we might want to pick up for decorations.  My beautiful rose bushes are blooming now.  If only I could capture the fleeting blossoms.  Oh, wait!  Maybe I can.

I gathered a basketful of deadheaded petals. 

Then I removed the sliding screen door from its tracks and balanced it on two sawhorses.  Next, I scattered rose petals all over the screen.  Now I'm just waiting for them to dry. 

I'm not exactly sure if/how we'll use them, but I figure it doesn't hurt to have options!  I'm envisioning some rose petal, vase, battery-operated candle, tulle creation as a centerpiece. I want to discuss this with the bride-to-be, of course. 

Even if we don't end up using the petals, at least the garage smells good.

Thankful thought:  Thanks for the excitement of happy occasions!

Struggling With My Views at Petsmart

You might remember that I recently posted about confident parenting.  We know our children, and we know what skills and knowledge would prove most useful to them.  We should celebrate successes and not worry about what others think.  Well . . . I still struggle with this. 

Yesterday, I stopped at Petsmart to buy dog food for Reno.  I was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.  The T-shirt had on the front:  America 1776.  The cashier looked at me, and asked/said:  "1776.  Is that the date of the Army?  Or was it Navy?"  Even after I explained it meant the birth of our nation, she asked, "the flag?"  I reiterated, then tried not to act surprised when she explained to me that her major in college had nothing to do with history. 

Then I struggled with my feelings.  I do believe what I wrote in my confident parenting post, yet I found myself surprised that the English-speaking, college student/cashier did not know what I considered a fact of general knowledge.  I reminded myself that I have forgotten many facts in my lifetime, and I remembered all the nightmares I had after I received my college degree.  The dreams all had one recurring theme:  somehow I was a fraud, because I couldn't remember calculus.  Never mind the fact that I took calculus in high school.  According to my nightmares, if I don't remember how to work the problems now, I shouldn't have the college diploma (and probably not even the high school one, either.)

Anyway, it probably doesn't take a psycho-analyst to realize that I value education, yet struggle with defining what that means.  The good news, and what I constantly need to remind myself, is that each one of us has a lifetime to collect knowledge.  None of us will ever be able to learn everything that is available to us.  We get to pick and choose where our focus will be.  Even if we don't know something someone else considers a basic fact, that doesn't diminish what we do know.  And just as I would not want to be judged by someone who actually remembers calculus, I should not judge another person's lack of recollection of historical facts.  Do I want my children to understand and remember what 1776 means for this country?  Of course.  Is it the most important thing they will learn in their lifetime?  Of course not. 

I love seeing my children learn and work hard.  I smile along with them as they enjoy academic success, but their development of character traits such as determination, motivation, empathy, kindness, and love brings me even greater delight. 

So, to the cashier in Petsmart:  You showed curiosity, humility, and willingness to learn.  Note to self:  Until you have relearned calculus, and as long as the change is correct, don't worry about what a cashier may or may not know. 

Thankful thought:  Thanks for the time we have to learn.