the library

On Saturday morning we introduced Britton to the local public library for her first library experience. I used to love the library, checking every week for my beloved "Sweet Valley Twins" and "Babysitter's Club" books. My sister and I even volunteered for a short period of time mending books, but since it's foggy in my mind I don't think we lasted long.

So we decided in a world of Kindles and Nooks and instantaneously-gratifying downloadable books, we'd treat Britton to the slower-paced, aisle-browsing, life that is the library. The first thing she spied was the computer stations! And we didn't have a log-on password for her, so she couldn't really use it. But she was fine with playing with the mouse.



She loved the reading nook with magazines, books, tables, and a purple "tree" in the middle. The hub and I took turns finding five books to take home, nothing too easy (pictures only) or too wordy (I like reading time, but not an hour of reading time). Britton helped us whittle down the selection, and we left with our books in tow. And we've read them every night.

all good things

I just have to share the cuteness that is my kid. She saw me and the hubs in our cowboy boots for the rodeo, and instantly wanted to put on her own boots. Well, we returned the cowboy boots from Christmas because she never so much as looked at them, and what a waste of money it would have been to keep them around to collect dust. So, no boots. But Memaw led Britton to the adorable ladybug rain boots she got her for Christmas, and Britton was in heaven. And she has proceeded to wear them every single day, and for obsessive-two-year-old measure has added back in the bumble bee costume I hid (I mean, "hung up") in the closet.

No pants is fine, Mom....



But my Halloween costume with the disintegrating feathers would be even BETTER!



And Thursday night Britton took her popsicle to the bath, and I had deja vu all over again. Hadn't I seen my child in the bath with a popsicle before?



Hmmmm.......maybe August 2010? Hmmmmm........



Same popsicle maker too! Love the Zoku! Britton thinks she's getting dessert, when in fact she's getting some watered-down pink lemonade. And they only take 7 minutes to freeze. Seriously, I just felt like David Venable from QVC there for a minute. "We've got your lilac, your red, your fuchsia, your build me up fill me up buttercup, getting low on the olive green folks..."

And finally, I can share the cute pillows I made for my nieces, since they arrived at Jessica's doorstep this week! You might remember that Jessica redecorated their room (see it here) and I offered to make some coordinating pillow covers. Jessica likes pinwheels and I like snowballs, so we went with one of each for each girl's bed. I picked fabrics from the colors of their new bedding.




The backings - kites on the snowballs and girls in the rain for the pinwheels. Ignore my wrinkles!



All ready to be sent to Jessica!

a modern baby blanket

My friend Tiffany is having a baby due April 1st. No joke. We used to work together, but left the company within two weeks of each other, her to work for her husband's chiropractic office. So, in line with chiropractic customs, they are having as little intervention as possible. No prenatal testing, no OB/GYN (they have a midwife), and no ultrasounds. Therefore, no gender knowledge before the birth. Makes it a little hard when you're planning a baby quilt! I did find out though that they are decorating the nursery in yellow and grey. So, the gender-neutral quilt I had already made was thrown in the closet, and I set out to make a new, modern, grey and yellow baby quilt!

Let me tell you - fabric choice was tough. Grey fabric, while becoming more and more common, still seems too modern to me. In fact, it seems there is now a trend among new parents to decorate in a style I find way too modern. I mean, this is a baby nursery people, not your living room! You don't have to cover a nursery in Elmo, but the minimalist too-modern style that is becoming so popular makes me cringe. They are only little once - what's so wrong with color? And butterflies? And puppies?

To that end, I put some fabrics together at the quilt shop, and brought them home to try out my pattern - simple patchwork squares. Not fussy, perfectly gender-neutral. I love how it turned out.

Where do you display a baby quilt? On a miniature Adirondack chair of course!



The front...You can't tell since I'm far away, but the only solids are the dark grey and light yellow. All the other fabrics have designs on them. This was my first time using all-natural/all-cotton Warm and Natural batting, and I loved it so much I bought another eight yards (on sale, of course!). The weight is perfect.



The back (The hub is holding it upside down. That white square in the upper left corner is the quilt tag). Pieced together because I didn't have enough polka dot (which is from the Hometown by Sweetwater for Moda line).



My first attempt at straight line quilting! I love how the intersections create four little squares. And a peek at my favorite fabric - the children playing.



Grey gingham binding, from Bunny Hill Designs Lily and Will for Moda line. With the back being polka dots, I ventured away from my polka dot bindings and went with this gingham, and I think it works.



I will definitely be using this pattern again! It was so simple to cut, sew, and quilt and I can just picture a toddler dragging it behind him/herself. Quilts are meant to be cuddled with, messed up, loved to scraps. As far as the "modern" aspect? Well, I feel like I walked the line with this one - modern color scheme, yes. But classic and childlike fabrics. A compromise.

to the rodeo we go

The hub's friend Mark was able to get us tickets to the Fort Worth Rodeo on Sunday night. I was so excited because I have never been to a rodeo before, and the hub promised (and delivered) that it was incredible as a live event. Our seats were against the fence, front-row action, and we were treated to it all. Even dirt flying into our beers!

I forgot to bring my fancy camera, so I settled on the hub's iPhone. Thus, all the pictures are blurry. But I think they are still interesting to see, because they really capture the amount of power these animals have. I sat next to Mark's wife Deana, and she and I oohhhed and ahhhhed over every horse, they were that beautiful.

Here is some of the bull riding. No surprise, bulls don't want a full-grown man on their backs! I don't know how these men do it every night, treating their spines like a slap bracelet. And when those bulls would run towards our seats, drool hanging from their mouths, I admit that I was scared. Even with thick wire fences protecting me.



We saw one of the rodeo clowns get run over by the bull here. He seemed ok, but can you imagine?



These horses are unbroken. Meaning - they don't want you to ride them!



And the horse-riding. Amazingly fast. The charging thumps of their hooves and the flying dirt. This made me yearn for those moments I see Britton running full tilt, as fast as she can because she can. Riding a horse must be the equivalent for an adult. I would love to feel that free.

big Saturday night plans

We don't typically do a lot on the weekends that requires a lot. Some walks around the neighborhood, a trip to the park, a stop at Costco - nothing fancy. But, living in Texas where there are more restaurants per capita than any other state, we sometimes take off the pajama pants and venture out for dinner. A new street taco shop opened up near our beloved Baskin-Robbins, and we decided to give it a go.

Some tacos, a quesadilla, and some queso, and lemonade of course, later, we sat down to dinner...



Britton is a big fan of sour cream!



And queso...



But the consensus was - meh. The queso was bland, the quesadilla was bland, and the chips were store-bought instead of freshly made. So, we packed our disappointed selves into the car to drive about 500 feet to - Baskin-Robbins!

Britton usually gets rainbow sherbet. Which isn't like the awesome rainbow sherbet from High's Ice Cream that I grew up on - raspberry, orange, lime, and pineapple. This sherbet is only pink, orange, and white, and tastes like sherbet punch - kind of nondescript. So Britton browsed the samples and said, "Yellow!" Lemon custard it is, then.



Big Saturday night plans? Check. The new restaurant in town tried? Check. We're just jetsetters, you know. Ha!

margaret's hope chest

I decided a couple of months ago that I wanted to do some charity quilts in 2012. We donate money to charity, donate used items to Goodwill - but I wanted to actually DO something that would have an impact, even a little impact, on a real person. I'm not the kind to volunteer in a soup kitchen, so why not put a hobby to work?

I checked quilting blogs to see where people donated their quilts. Some charities came up over and over again, and their needs seemed covered by different quilting groups. I looked into domestic abuse shelters and nursing homes, though it seems that unfortunately those donated quilts walk off with workers more than get used by those in need.

I found Margaret's Hope Chest (read more here) and instantly felt connected. They match you with a child who has a parent in prison, and you make a quilt using their guidelines. For instance, my girl is ten years old, and loves pink, purple, butterflies, and daisies. I make the quilt then send it to her on her birthday, with a card written with her father's birthday message to her, since essentially the gift is from the parent in prison. I admit, I have a soft spot for innocent victims, and none are more innocent than a child who didn't ask for a parent to be sent to prison and absent from her life. Plus, with my public defender background, I feel connected to those families going through such a difficult thing.

Her birthday isn't until June, but I jumped right on this project. The focus material of butterflies (center of blocks and border) is Michael Miller's "Wings of Peace," the pinks and purples are various fat quarters and scraps, and the cream is Kona in Bone. The back is a pink fabric with daisies.

Sadie approves of this quilt.




Striped binding. It just went with the butterflies so well!



I quilted it in the same loopy free motion style as my Strawberry Fields quilt, so that she could use it as a bedspread if she wanted.



I hope to do at least one other charity quilt this year. Hopefully this quilt gives Erika happiness on her birthday this year.

fort worth stock show and rodeo

We have a property down the street from our house where there is a mommy horse and a baby horse, and Britton loves them so much I slow down the car so she can wave at them as we go past. This girl has a thing for horses, something I completely understand since I (as are most girls) was obsessed with them as a kid. And adorable side note: I asked her what the mommy horse's name is and she said "Miss Daddy." I asked her how she came up with that and she said, "They miss the daddy since he isn't there." How sweet is that? Cue me reaching for kleenex and high-fiving the hub for teaching empathy.

So, yesterday she wanted to see the horses, as well as the cows we pass on the way to daycare, but we were already home and not going back out. The hub and I told her we could go someplace today where she could see all the animals she wanted - the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. It did not disappoint!

We went through barn after barn of goats, cows, roosters, lambs, and horses. We even got to see horses in the arena area, running and jumping. Of course, I promised Britton some pigs and we couldn't find them anywhere, so we told her the pigs were late. She insisted they were in the museum building!

We made our way into the commercial area, full of bedazzled jeans (oh, so many bedazzled items you'd swear it was 1990), various horse supplies, and tractors. Britton and I fueled up on a hotdog, then got to checking out the booths.

And what should we find but our old favorite the Borden milk people! Complete with Elsie the Cow and her baby Beauregard.




Britton did not want to leave this booth, and we eventually bribed her away with "brown milk." Turns out the girl is a chocolate milk fanatic, but really who isn't?



Then on to John Deere tractors! Last year when we went Britton was not into the tractors at all. In fact, she wasn't into much of any of it. But this year she wanted to climb onto the tractors, which suited the hub just fine.





We picked up a John Deere shirt for Britton, a hat for the hub, and a corn stalk baby teether for my friend's baby shower. Then we headed over to Railhead's for some barbeque. A Texas morning of Texas fun!

the honey done list

This why people have closets with doors:



See that mess up there? This is the area between the garage and the breakfast nook, the "walkway" past the laundry room, and the one place random stuff piles up. You know how if you put a chair in your room all it will do is hold clothes? Well, if you put a bench next to where the coats reside, you'll end up with a bench that has stuff thrown all over it. And for people who live in Texas we have a ridiculous amount of coats.

After going to my sister's house for Christmas and seeing the changes she made in her house, I came away with the feeling that I could change my house too to make it more me. The hub and I have done very little to change this house other than paint. Oh, and the yard doesn't count since I always change the yard with my overgrown (bad pun!) amount of gardening and planting.

When we moved in we thought we'd do something like this:



But for $1389 (Pottery Barn, of course) it seemed high. And too close to a mortgage payment. So we went to IKEA and got a bench and coat rack.

But I looked at our sad little cut-out of space and knew it could be better. I love beadboard mudrooms. LOVE them. Even better if they are part of a laundry room and spacious and have a stupid amount of labeled bins. And slate floors. I know you've seen them before:





BUT - we don't have a huge budget, and we're not remodeling for a place to put shoes and coats. And frankly, we don't live in New England. These types of mudrooms are for people who get MUD and SNOW on their boots. Not some dust on flip flops. So, reigning it in a little, with a best-gestimate of $50 total for the project, the hub and I went to Home Depot to scout.

We got our beadboard panels, screws, caulk, and just to throw the budget out of whack we got an air nailer and a saw. So, the $50 was out the window, but the tools (as I am assured by the hub) will be used in future projects. I used the paint left by the builders for our trim, though it ended up being much whiter than our trim. I've checked the house and I have no idea what was painted bright white in here, so why do we have a touch-up kit with that color? Oh well, I wasn't going to make a FOURTH trip to the home store, so we used it.



That is how it looked for a couple of days since the hub went out of town. But I figured that I could finish it up. How hard is it to drill in some hooks? As it turns out, not hard at all.



I couldn't put the same beach picture back, since it would be too high up to actually see the picture. And I had bought this "Texas star" for the outside of our house, but the hub worried that the cheap craftsmanship metal would rust all over the brick. True, as the thing only cost $15 at the local Hobby Lobby. So it was sitting in the garage waiting for a spot, and it kept getting moved because the circle is fake barbed wire and I didn't want Britton to play with it. So now it has found its new home. And the fish picture on the side wall is from the hallway, so I just put the beach picture where the fish picture was.



In use! Britton actually noticed it when she got home from daycare. She looked at the wall and said, "Mommy has a new coat rack!"

a cowboy quilt and picture

Now that this quilt has safely arrived to its destination, I can finally share it with you! I will admit, I did A LOT of quilting for Christmas. One for my family, one for Jessica, one for Memaw, and so why not just throw in another quilt? Josh's cousin Randi is having a boy in March (her second son), and this cowboy fabric just called to me. It's called "King of the Ranch" by Moda, and admittedly it may seem a little "grown up" for a baby quilt. But Randi's husband is a cattle buyer and they live on land, so it made perfect sense to me. Plus, they don't strike me as the "too precious" type!

Yes, my Christmas Stars quilt pattern! It just fit this fabric so well.



Here's the back. I resisted the temptation to use blue, and I'm so glad I did. Memaw helped me pick this out - maroon with horseshoes (and it's not even from the same collection of fabrics as the front).



Whoops! Ran out of materials for the back, so I pieced together some of the brown polka dot binding material and left over charm squares.



Which of course means I didn't have enough binding material. So I used some rope material on the corners, and I think it turned out well. Machine stitched the borders, then hand stitched the stars.



And did I share CJ's quilt? CJ is "Caroline, Jr" - Caroline's American Girl doll - and you might remember her when she came to visit in June. I made her a little quilt for Christmas too.



And finally, my last ounce of creativity. And still a little cowboy influence. I got wooden frames from Target, and then painted them tan. After they dried, I sanded down the edges, then smeared some grey paint on to age the look. The picture is from our photo session for our Christmas card picture.



Funny story - Caroline looked at this frame and said, "I don't know why stores think people want a frame that looks old and used. Why would someone want to buy something that has chips all in the paint?" Jessica and I just laughed because we both have a soft spot for "shabby chic" and it seems Caroline might not!