kaleidoscope quilt

I've finished my very own Christmas Kaleidoscope quilt top. But after looking at it some more, I've decided I really need to add a few borders. The quilt measures approximately 55x81 so if it gets a little bigger it will be ok. I really like to snuggle under blankets.

For this quilt I followed Don't Call Me Betsy's Kaleidoscope QA with a two block pattern. I had a hard time with the pattern because my lines didn't quite work out. It might be that my pattern block wasn't accurate? I'm not sure. But she has you trim the block to be 12.5" square and I ended up having to make them 12" square. Yikes. Some of the triangle points aren't very pointy, but from far away, it looks great. Good thing this one is for me...

A tip for you...

A woman in my MQG, Cindy, told me that you can easily use an eyebrow brush to take out seams when you've sewed something together wrong. I hate ripping seams out and this little tool (from Sally Beauty) let me rip an entire seam in like 30 seconds. Go. Run. Out. And. Buy. One!

happy mother's day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there. I have to say, becoming a mother was the best thing I ever did. My girls are the light of my life and continue to teach me new things every day. They make me smile [and scream], but mostly smile at them every night.

And don't think I became a mother and instantly knew what to do, because I didn't. However, if it seems that mothering came natural to me it's because I had such a wonderful example in my life. My mother is the best. The whip cream, the extra frosting, the cherry on top. She beats all!! She's patient, kind, loving, and silly. I love her and hope my children can continue to know her for a long time to come. Thank you for everything you've taught me and continue to teach me. Thank you for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. I love you!!

WIP Wednesday

It's been crazy around here. We've had a little too much rain which means we've spent a little too much time indoors. The evenings have been ok so Charlotte's has had a few changes to go for a walk and play outside. I haven't been doing much sewing either. Too tired these days!

The other weekend at my MQG meeting I had to chance to really start working on my own Christmas quilt. I have half of the blocks created and just need to finish the other 18. But again, I ran out of white fabric and need to make a trip to the store. I'm using the Don't Call Me Betsy Kaleidoscop QA. I did have to trim my blocks to 12" square as they weren't quite close to 12.5" square. I must have done something wrong?!

The girls are good. Kevin just got double pink eye so hopefully the rest of us don't get it. Gretchen is getting a gazillion teeth at once and has had temper, fever, and diaper rash to prove it. She is into everything but still a cuddle bug. Charlotte is her normal self and loves to play outside as much as she can.

buttermilk-blueberry breakfast cake

I can't take any credit for this recipe. It's not mine and I didn't think it up. All I did was find it on Pinterest and make it this morning at my mom's house. If you like warm, blueberry, fluffy, not-too-sweet goodness, then this is for you. It's super easy to make as you can pretty much mix everything together in the mixer and scoop it into the pan. At some point I plan on doubling the recipe to put into a 9x11 pan. Now that would be one happy breakfast crowd!

Blueberry cake recipe from Alexandra's Kitchen, you really need to check it out.

summer's almost here

I love my neighborhood!!, a photo by Midwest Family Life on Flickr.

This week we got another sampling of summer here in Wisconsin and wow, it was great! Besides Charlotte, there are five other little girls in our neighborhood, within just a few houses, for her to play with. Since school is still in session they can only play after school or on the weekends, but Charlotte looks forward to it all day long. She is usually looking out the window at the driveways trying to convince me the neighbors are home.

This photo was the other night, three of them were still over in our backyard playing. Kevin was helping them catch butterflies and then letting them fly away. I think each girl got one! They were pretty excited!

This brings me to another observation of mine. I've turned into the Mom that would rather have all the kids at her house. These are all nice families, I've met the parents and spoken on numerous occasions, but I still prefer all the kids to be at my house. Gretchen is still young enough that she has to be with me, so if they are at our house she can play with the big kids, but I still just like having my kids around here. We have a great yard, it's big, and I feel safer when I can have one eye on them.

Do you think I'm overprotective? I think I'm just a Mom.

15 months

Can you believe Gretchen is 15 months old? I can't! Overnight it seems she's turned into a toddler; walking all over the place, running when she knows she did something naughty, climbing stairs, going down stairs on her belly, climbing chairs, sitting on bikes, biting, and grabbing hair.

She still isn't much of a talker but has no problem telling you what she wants. Her pointer finger has an awful lot of power around here. She does say Dada, Mama, and signs 'more' all the time. She loves the dog and can often be found feeding him her food. She's a great eater. Some recent discoveries are tomatoes and broccoli, YES!

She's 32 1/4" tall (95%) and 22#11oz (50%). Gretchen is growing beautifully and we love our little cuddle bug.

christmas in april

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, that is, if you happen to be in my basement. After last season I bought myself some great Robert Kaufman fabric on sale knowing that I really need to make myself a Christmas quilt. Most of it is from his O'Tinsel Tree line by Pink Light Design. I had to fill in with some old Kate Spain too. I'll be making a kaleidoscope quilt using Don't Call Me Betsy's quilt along.

I've also been practicing my quilting skills by making some dishcloths. It's a great project to work on at night when I'm upstairs and not stuck in the basement.

Lastly, I finished another bucket hat for my girlfriend's little guy, Ivan. Just in time for a beautiful zoo trip yesterday! He wasn't so sure about the hat, but I'm sure it will grow on him. This is the Oliver + S pattern I printed from a library book. Just trying to be resourceful...

Linking up with Lee this week...

laying low

Sorry I've been absent around here. It's hasn't been too exciting. I haven't done much quilting/crafting and the kids really haven't been up to much either. We've had a spurt of cold weather around here and that doesn't exactly make us productive. 

Over the weekend we got to ride bikes outside (Charlotte can now ride around the court on her tricycle), do a little re-planting and gardening, and painted the downstairs bathroom. Two little girls also moved in just two houses down from us. It's great for Charlotte!!

But this cold weather is really a downer. We've all had a cold/cough on and off. Gretchen is going on about two weeks here. We're miserable! The kids are dying to get outside every day but the rain isn't helping. Argh. Summer, where are you?!

new ladybug wings

sick baby girl

striped bathroom