new home gifts

My friend just moved into her newly-built house. I made her some of my crocheted potholders in coral and robin's egg blue. I tried a new dish towel pattern from Lion Brand Yarn's free patterns. You can go to Lion Brand's website to register to view free patterns.

college football

I'm still here! And college football is here! I love this time of year. Just about every team I follow has a new coach this year, so it should be an interesting season. I am a Vandy fan at heart (somebody has to be :)), but I have married into Volmania. I must say that with one trip to Neyland, it is a very contagious disease. What's funny is that I was raised by two Roll Tiders. We just about have the SEC covered in my family! For my Alabama-routin' mama, I made this tote:

I didn't have a pattern, so I just winged it. It was supposed to be a tote, but it turned into more of a purse. Not sure that she will ever use it, but I just had to display the U of A fabric that she had bought. I also found the Alabama "A" clip art and my machine took the clip art and "stitchitized" it into a monogram.

Here are some more shots:

I have bought my first Amy Butler (a fabric and pattern genius) purse pattern, so next time I will have blueprint with which to work!

Not that I will have time during football season to sew a purse ;) Go 'Dores or Vols or Blue Raiders and Titans...I'm so confused!

oh yeah, here are some more baby shower goodies

Forgot about these! I really trusted the preloaded graphics on my embroidery machine and tried the cute flower.

I have also been downloading free fonts online including the cute font on the bib that has a heart at the end of every letter. It is pretty easy to download the fonts and fortunately, if the font is on my computer, my embroidery machine can use it.

more baby shower diys

Since I have been invited to many baby showers recently, thought I would share some of the other baby gifts that I have been making. Here is a "stats" blankie that was made for my best friends' most recent little addition:

I have also embroidered other blankies:

And some of those cute hoodie towels that look like a duck and a frog:

I also tried something new-applique! I have only made this one bib, and I still do not have the hang of it, but it is pretty cool. You just attach the material you cut out with some double sided fusible interface like wunderunder, stitch around the edges (this is the tricky part) and voila, you're done.

 

Now I have a whole slew of made-with-love goodies for my mommy-to-be besties!

diy burp cloths

So, I went to a friend's baby shower last year, and she was given a few adorable burp cloths that were monogrammed. When the gifts were passed around, I inspected the burp cloths and thought, "I could make those"-it's just monogramming and sewing two rectangular pieces of cloth together. I hopped online and searched for some dimensions for my next project (thank goodness for Google)! Here is what I went with: Homemade Burp Cloths from the baby gift hot list. I used a cotton print for the top and flannel for the bottom. I am going to use a minky dot material for the bottom once I finish using up the flannel. The flannel works fine and is absorbent, but the minky dot is softer on a baby's face. Here is the first burp cloth that I made (which I finished embroidering about 5 minutes after I should have left for the shower-yikes):

What is great is that I have already cut out the fabric to make many more, so I can just make burp cloths on the fly! Seriously, you would be surprised how handy it is to have these supplies on the ready. I have made many more since my first attempt:

silence, please

It seems to be a given, something we've all been taught...like don't stick your tongue to the frozen flag pole or look both ways before crossing the street. If you don't heed these rules, things could get ugly. But I guess curiosity or just plain stupidity gets the best of people and they just have to ask, insinuate or otherwise shove their foot so far into their mouths that they seemingly can barely cough it back out. I am talking about those people who just have to ask if you are pregnant!!

Recently, say in the last month and a half, I have faced two such shoe-chewers. The first proceeded to ask "Ooh, are we with child?" and the second, "Do we know yet?" as he rubbed his belly. 

For the first, I have no explanation of why they would ask, but do think it is funny that when I responded "Excuse me?" she actually thought I didn't hear her and then proceeded to stare at my stomach with each passing until she finally had to ask again a few weeks later-this time in a much more subtle manner. It actually became fun to pouch my belly out upon passing her and then suck it into my backbone when meeting her again-no wonder she was perplexed! Hey, if I'm going to be insulted, I should at least be allowed to have some fun with it! :) 

In defense of the second, he was a poor guy who worked at The Melting Pot and he did see me with a full out food-baby in my stomach, but still-keep it to yourself: think it, don't say it!!! It's not like I'm going around with a glow or anything-that's just the exertion from me carrying around my extra 20-pounds! I thought the pressure from family to have a baby was bad enough, but now the general public seems to be weighing in with a "well, you look it so you might as well have one." 

I guess their mommas did not teach them any better, but for the record, no one ask me if I am pregnant until I appear to be at least 8 months along! On the bright side, I can have a good laugh about it and just know that when the time comes, I will apparently play the role very well-I even have a head start! :)


Oh, and I blame this ranting on my hormones! ;)


-the non-pregnant pregger

finish line

Since I am blogging, that gives you the good indication that I am not laying on the side of some Nashville street dead from exhaustion. I MADE IT! The weather was perfect! The run was a challenge due to the unexpected early onslaught of hills, but it was a great run. I found my stride and I navigated around the wall that I had recently been hitting in my training. I didn't even have a single blister on my feet-that is a big deal! Here I am with my CMM Half Marathon buddy, Erica, excited to determine that I am actually wound and injury free (and enjoying some yummy cookies-what? I deserved them!):

So after only running about 8 miles at the most during my training, I ran about 12 out of the 13.1 miles. I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 32 minutes. For the most part, I only stopped to walk when I was at a water station because I was tired of drenching myself with water and Cytomax and sadly, I also had to stop to text-this was a shameful moment of my life. Apparently, running and texting do not mix, so for the safety of myself and those around me, I stopped and walked while texting my cheering club to tell them that I was at mile 3. Speaking of, here is my awesome cheering club, mom-in-law, Joni and sis-in-law, Mallie:

Looking forward to the next 13.1~hoping to bring my time down below my personal best of 2:10.