thimbly things

Would you believe that I’m alone with just Jacob for a couple hours this morning?  He’s asleep, so this is like a mini-vacation for me.  And when Evan returns with Emily, she’ll probably be ready for a nap.  This may mean that I get up to 5 hours of the previously mentioned alone time I have so craved.

Time to stop and read.  Or maybe just pray and think.

First, I want to share some kindness with you.  Ruthanne, a dear friend I’ve made through blogging, gathered together several books from her personal library that she thought would interest me.  (I was looking for reading material for when I nurse.)  Not only did she send me about a dozen good reads, but she also sent some sweet gifts for the babies (including a Fisher Price radio/cassette player dating from 1991.  So fun!), homemade granola, and a couple books for Evan.  And a very kind letter to boot.

I’ve already read a little in Gift of a Letter, and I can’t wait to read Ten P’s in a Pod, Hidden Art, and Thrift Score.  Really though, it’s hard to know where to begin.  There’s so much variety, and every selection sounds excellent!

And that Little Golden Book… As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a Richard Scarry fan.  I may have to photograph some of the pages a la doe-c-doe and share them with you.  Very cute.  Very inspired.

Ruthanne, you’re amazing.  You are a shining example of what I desire to be as a woman–thinking of others selflessly, giving, extremely thoughtful and kind.  Thank you for being a Proverbs 31 woman and for sharing your godly character with me.

So this is my final May post for A Post a Day in May.  It’s been a good exercise in regular blogging, though it has been difficult at times.  There were a few evenings when I had to fudge my timestamp because my post went through 5 minutes after midnight.  And I actually missed one day altogether while family was in town.  In the future, I’ll try to post everyday, but it will be nice to have more freedom and flexibility with my blog.  I don’t want it to feel like a burden, ya know?  Thank you, Allsorts for the inspiration!  Accountability is always a good thing. : )

We’ve been experiencing a good kind of problem all week: too many parties.  And we’re pooped.  We love people, but I think we all crave some alone time now.

I have something really fun that I want to share tomorrow, but right now…

I’m going to read while my babies sleep.  Happy Friday.

Our friend Catcher turned 1 yesterday, and I made him this owl.  I got a few pictures of the finished (stuffed) product later in the evening when the light wasn’t so great.  But maybe I’ll share them once they’re uploaded.

As a jumping-off point, I used the image from a Cutting Edge magazine that was on my desk in yesterday’s post.  (I didn’t have much time for creative embellishments.)  I just cut out all the fabric freehand (except for the circles) and then stitched the applique on using the zigzag stitch.  It took a few hours, but it was very simple.   And I believe it was genuinely appreciated.  We have such sweet friends.

Next on my sewing agenda is to knock out some utilitarian items we’ve been needing for a while.  I’ve been making a lot of toys lately and feel a little guilty.  I saw this, and it reminded me that Evan has been asking me to make a case for our camera for the last 2 1/2 years that we’ve owned it.  Hmmm.  So my priorities are a little askew.  I’m not gonna lie.

He’s also been asking for some storage solution for our “medicine cabinet.”  Right now, we have a Reasor’s grocery bag under our sink with all our cough syrups, bandages, gas drops, etc. in it.  And it is rather annoying since every time one digs through said grocery bag, one does not feel well or has child in tow who does not feel well.  I haven’t decided what the best solution for this will be.  If you have any suggestions or links, please share!  I’m all eyes.

Today, the desk is very colorful as I search for inspiration for another baby’s birthday.  Our friend Catcher is turning 1, and I have a few hours left to make something for him before his party.

On my desk: Paddington (for moral support), a Cutting Edge magazine (sadly no longer being published) with an inspirational owl stuffie in it, a stack of colorful fabrics that aren’t too girly, and a Vera Bradley makeup case containing crochet hooks and knitting notions.

Off to work I go!

Here’s Emily in some old graduation paraphernalia. She’s looking very Bible Hero-ish, if you ask me.  (Thanks Heather for taking this awesome picture!  Love it.)

Today was another whirlwind of activity. Tomorrow I’ll show you what’s happening on my desk, yo. And maybe something handmade. Maybe.

Happy Memorial Day! We enjoyed some fantastic steaks at the Newmans’ home this afternoon, and then played with babies. This is a recurring theme here at Thimbly Things. Food. Babies. Food. Babies.

Enjoy!

By the end of our visit, Emily looked like a dirty, neglected ragamuffin. Her sweet little dress was spotted from whipped cream, dirt, doggy slobber, and we’re not sure what else. Her feet were black from mud, charcoal, and possibly doggy poo. Her knee was scraped. And, as usual, her hair was matted together. But she certainly did have the time of her life.

She even made a new human friend.

This is Myra. She and Emily bonded over the door stopper. Good times. (By the way, you’d never know from looking at them, but Emily is 10 days older than Myra!)

Emily with another stick.  I decided to add this because it just makes me laugh.  There’s something mildly Lord of the Flies about this.  Maybe it’s the tied green dress hanging off her shoulder and her bare feet, but I can just see her heading up a group of ornery, angry children and hunting down a wild boar…

Due to some forgetfulness on our part, I had the hour between church and birthday party to whip up a gift for sweet little Elena, who turned 1 on Thursday.  Here’s the Lady of the Hour in all her birthday glee.

“It’s my party, and I’ll play with my toes if I want to!”  Happy Birthday, Elena!!!

Here’s the whale I made.  Seriously.  We’re talking 30 minutes start to finish.  I didn’t even know what I was making until I started rummaging through my fabric.  Whew!  I don’t recommend doing this if you love your family and want to maintain the Fruits of Kindness and Patience (and Love and Joy and Peace and…).

Buttons are a major no-no when making toys for babies.  So Elena’s Mommy might be gluing the sucker (or putting him on a shelf?).  I actually tried to embroider eyes, but with 5 minutes, things were looking disastrous.  Out came all my buttons in a frenzy, and then I breathed very deeply and sewed this one on as securely as possible.

[One good thing about this experience is that I now want to make a stash of baby gifts like the whale to have on hand for parties.  This may be wishful thinking, but it would certainly be convenient!]

All the kiddies got to play in a ballpit at the party.  That was pretty great.  Emily was even more interested in the balls than she was in the puppy, and that’s really saying something!

My friend Leah and I compared our newborns.  This is Jacob and his buddy Augustine.  Jacob is the older of the two by about 20 hours.

BFF

Jacob made a new friend today.

Or, I guess, I made a new friend for Jacob today.

I love how the bunny kinda looks like a sleeping baby.

Pattern found here via Meet Me at Mike’s.

All my life I have never known exactly what “hang ten” meant. I only knew that it was something related to surfing. Thanks to Yo Gabba Gabba this morning, I now know. Emily and I counted Alex’s toes as he “hung” them off the end of his surfboard. I am intrigued. And I just love educational programming for children.

Last night, Emily slept in her big girl bed for the first time. Of course, her bed is really just her crib mattress on the floor. After an incident on Wednesday in which Emily got her leg stuck between the rails of her crib, we decided it was high time to move her out of the cage. But, having never done this before, we had no idea how it would go.

Surprisingly well.

We put all her toys and books into her crib so she wouldn’t be tempted to play with them in the night. Then we put a thick blanket around the edge of her mattress in case she fell off. She seemed to know exactly what to do. It probably helped that she was sleeping on the same mattress she’s always slept on. I don’t think she climbed off the mattress at all. Until 7:30 this morning, that is. I heard her opening her door with her newfound freedom and called her into my bedroom. She came to the side of our bed and said, “I love you! Eat breakfast. Nanas. Bread. Nanas. Bread.”

Now it’s just about time for her nap, and I’m not sure how this will go down. I’m mildly tempted to put the mattress back in the crib. Hmm.

EDIT: I “put her down” for a nap about 5 minutes ago and shut her door.  I now hear the pitter-patter of her feet.  Yeah.

Unrelated: This is really cute to me right now.

Through Pink Paper Peppermints, I found the cutest tutorial today at joybucket.  These little hairpins took about 30 minutes to make (if that long).  I decided to do French knots instead of seed beads in the center of the flowers, but the possibilities for these are endless.

I’ve also been surprised again by the bounty at our library.  I found Uncommon Crochet there, and I love it.  This little clutch really appeals to me, and I think it’s the diagonal lines with lace and fabric added.  I certainly don’t need a clutch.  It seems these days that any bag with less than 2 cubic feet of space is pretty much useless to me.  But I like it anyway.

This is making me feel sad today.

On that note, I’ll see you tomorrow.  I’m going to play with Emily now.