Moments of rain...

November 12, 2009, 2:26 PM... early to pick up big brother, a shocking riot of color through the dripping windshield...

Little brother rocking out to "Dog Train"

Thinking about walking out in the rain to get brother...
November 12, 2009 2:48 PM... sun again. Lovely and bright. A double rainbow! Sun and rain, both necessary.

JMB

2 months ago...

Hi there little Mango!

You are two months old now. You have been teaching us lots of things about you. You love when your big brothers talk to you, I think that they are getting to close, but you enjoy seeing them right up in your little face. You are such a calm girl. You leave crying for things like a dirty diaper and hunger. Sometimes you cry a little bit when I take too long getting ready for bed. But as soon as you see me you let out a sweet little sigh, as if to say "Mommy, Finally!"

You saved your first smile for your devoted brown-haired brother, even though your Daddy and Grandma thought that they caught it first. You have been working on a giggle this past week and I especially love your lop-sided grin.

You were such a trooper when we all had the swine flu, content to just cuddle while we all waited to get better. You are a wonderful third child. You are a sweet little girl.

JMB

Moments...

November 8, 2009, 9:30 a.m
I was reading a blog the other day and the pictures and writing were so very true. It wasn't that it was a post of grand revelations. It was just a post about a family, across the world from me, but so very like my family. It was comforting and funny. I like that. It talked about using your blog to show how you really are, to relate, to share your true self. If you would like to share with all of us you can read more about it here. It is nice to have a pretty blog. To fix your pictures. Crop out the ugly piles of laundry, hide the zits with photoshop, make it look like you want to remember it. Sometimes it is nice to just be, pajamas, holey socks, toys on the floor, all of it.

We all are getting over our flirtation and then straight on romance with H1N1. It wasn't pretty here the last week plus. Our saving grace was little Mango only got a snorkely nose. I was so worried that she would have the fevers along with the rest of us, but she has been saved thus far. I am so thankful. I am also glad that it looks like the rest of us are going to recover with just a cough and runny noses to bring in to this next week. We missed Halloween, my sister came over with treats for the boys but they could only look up from the couch and manage a pitiful "Thhhank you." Big Daddy had his ears all blocked up and I lost my voice, so we were quite the pair. It just makes me thankful for how healthy we are normally.

I made 4 more pumpkins yesterday for my pumpkin quilt. It is nice to have something brainless to make when I have a spare hour. I have 5 more cut out, maybe this will be a finishable project?? We will see. Jacquie is hosting a project finishing party here. I think I might play along, I need to move some stuff out of my sewing room!

Stay healthy!

JMB

Sticker charts...

Things are in flux around here. Thinking back, they were in this magnitude of flux back when Blondie was born. The difference I think, is that, back then I was a new "stay at home" mommy. I was still trying to wrap my personal identity around that as well as being the new mommy of 2. And Big Daddy was not traveling nearly as much...
This time around, the mommy of three, the mommy of a school age child, a preschooler AND a little one, well there is a lot of "WHAT AM I DOING??" everyday. Not in "how did I get here?" but "Wow, how am I going to get from point "A" to point "B"?" Point "A" and "B" change from second to second. This blog post was going to be about the wonders of sticker charts...but how do I get from here to there?

We started charts a couple of weeks ago during Big Daddy's first trip away. The first night I will admit to being a screaming mommy. I was. It wasn't pretty. I thought "Would they behave any better if I gave them stickers for all of the (few, seriously it was a bad night) good/helpful/nice things they do?" It worked pretty well. It helped Brownie stay focused on being helpful and Blondie was able to have a better incentive for using the potty more regularly.

It worked for them, but in the weeks since I think that it works better for me. At a low moment I can go to the charts and see that they really are helpful most of the time. I can be reminded that if there aren't many stickers that I maybe have not been "present" enough with them to notice when they are working well together.

We are all works in process Must remember... we are all works in process.
I leave you with my latest quilting bee block. This goes to my friend "hanies" in this bee. She wanted us all to make a 16" block that was like a mini quilt. What a fun group of fabric to work with!

JMB

The games we play...

This is the game we play with little babies. If you haven't done it before, you should try it, it will make you laugh, even if you are "very mature".
The other game I have been playing lately is called "Collect fabric until you feel like a spoiled fabric brat"
It is true. For my birthday, when people asked what I wanted, I said "Fabric. Fat Quarters, whatever you like!"
And boy, did I receive! Thank you, thank you family! I just finished washing and putting it all away. Wow, I really need to reorganize now.
This was a lovely collection from Big Daddy and the boys...I think that I want to make another birthday quilt...but I have to finish last year's first.
The following photos are the fabrics that I bought for myself this year, it is a little game that I like to call....

"I shouldn't,

yes I should,

no, I shouldn't...

wait, they aren't going to be around forever, so I should....."

Well, I did...
And I am so happy...
JMB

what to do today??

How's this for 2 posts in one week?? Hooray for me!

Today, Mango gifted me two hours of sewing, during which she slept in her car seat. First time ever folks!! I got to sew and move and there wasn't a baby to be found ON ME! SO EXCITED!

I do realize that they are only small for a short window of time. I have been loving all of the Momma-baby cozy time, but it was nice to sew ALONE!! Plus the house was quiet! For the first time in over a week... BOTH of the older Brothers were well and AT SCHOOL!!!

I worked on my "Traveling Threads" virtual bee blocks. I really want to keep the upper one. I don't know why I like it so much. I was making a kind of lame house and then I flipped it over and it made kind of a cool boat.

CHANGE OF PERSPECTIVE!! That is what is called for sometimes. For instance I was giving my kids LOTS of time-outs and basically being a crabby mommy... so I decided to make a positive chart and they could get stickers for when they were doing what they were supposed to. NOW, on a "bad" day I can go and look at the chart and if I have been doing a good job then there will be stickers there and I can remember that they were behaving better then, say earlier today...but let's not discuss it, OK?

Here was my extra block...I made it with some of the scraps from the first one... these blocks really made me excited about sewing again. I just LOVE the "good folks" fabric, but I have been too miserly with mine. Maybe I will cut it now?? I hope so!
Here is a peek at Little Blondie's "I spy Apartment House" quilt. It is getting so big. I finally put the roof on and I just need to add the side borders and then we will be in business for basting it up for quilting. Hooray!

Mango is screaming for her supper... gotta go!

JMB

35 is half way to 70...

Yesterday was my birthday. #35. Is that a big one? Aren't they all?

I did everything that I wanted yesterday...

I woke up early with Mango, then went back to sleep and let Big Daddy do his own thing with the brood.

I sewed, showered, went on a walk, and bought some delicious cream for a special afternoon cup of coffee.

I drank my coffee in the backyard, as Blondie shared his shelled peanuts with the chickens.

I read a new book, received a store's worth of fabric, and had a nice dinner with my family, sisters and mother included.

I had a second piece of cake as I watched Battlestar Galactica.

What a way to start a year!
Little Missy was so busy this morning. We really saw her changing this past week. She is 6 weeks old now. This morning she graced us with her first smile. She was beaming at her dear brother, Brownie. Yes, Big Daddy and Grandma...she smiled TODAY. (It is only the official first smile if the family documentarian sees it to confirm, and that is me folks. That is me.)
The kids were so cute this morning laying on the floor together. What a full house I have. What a full heart. 35 is going to be a busy and exciting year, who knows what it holds, but I bet it's going to be great!

JMB

PS

This was a fun challenge block for my guild this month. I didn't win the drawing for the blocks at the meeting (which I actually made it to, with Mango!) I am a sucker for pumpkins and Halloweeny/autumny things so I started a pumpkin quilt using this pattern to show off my Halloween fabrics....I have 3 finished and they are so fun. There are more cut out, I am such a good starter!