granny squares quilt, II

Remember when I made the granny squares quilt for the hub's Granny? And remember how I just had to make one for myself? Well, that's about where my motivation peaked. Cutting out hundreds of little 2.5 inch squares, putting them together, and then remembering I had to do it 20 times, well. Let's just say this quilt took a while to finish! But I forged ahead and got it done, and I'm glad because I love how it turned out.

Got the back and binding from the hub's Memaw's stash. It's a dark blue paisley, with pinks and greens, and the colors pick up all the colors in the quilt without overpowering it.

After we took pictures of the quilt in the backyard, Britton announced she was going to use the quilt "for a picnic" on the dirty patio floor. The hub distracted her while I grabbed her Winnie the Pooh quilt and suggested she use that one instead. Turns out what she really wanted was a photo session with her quilt...

She was serious about it too!  She held that quilt up with a no-nonsense look.  So cute here, because she turned the quilt around and said, "Now let's get the back," just like me!

I could not deny this girl her quilt photo session.  I just kept snapping away...

testing....1...2...3...testing

I'm not surprised.  As I was googling (it's now a verb) the phrase "When did my three year old..." the first phrase to pop up was "When did my three year old turn into a monster?"  That wasn't how I was going to complete my search terms, but it fit so I went with it.  

First, off - you didn't miss three months of Britton's life.  She doesn't turn three until August.  But if I do any internet searches on two-year-olds, I get information that just doesn't apply to me.  Parents of two-year-olds are worried about moving from the crib to the bed, or a refusal to eat anything but fish sticks, or their kid refusing to poop.  We're beyond that.  I needed to know why my kid was getting out of bed.

Such a little angel, no?

Don't let this accessorized pint-size fool you.  She aims to give me an addiction to parenting chat rooms and just enough cold medicine to take off the edge...

I go to the grocery store on Thursday nights, and two weeks ago after I left Britton got up from her bed and found the hub.  He led her back to bed and that was that.  We chalked it up to Memaw's visit and figured she'd get back in line.  One week later, with me on the way to the grocery store, she did it again!   We were baffled, but figured it was a fluke.

It wasn't.  Sunday night Britton refused to stay in bed.  I did the stupidly ridiculous thing of trying to reason with her (I know, amateur hour over here!) and even took her temperature, certain that such ornery behavior must be caused by a raging fever.  She wasn't sick, but she wasn't going to stay in bed either.  As soon as one of us put her back in, she was right back up.  

I'll tell you a little something, so you know where I'm coming from.  I know this is normal behavior.  My intellectually-sided brain matter-of-factly knows that Britton is getting to an age where she is testing us, testing our boundaries, and thinks getting out of bed is a great way of getting to play a little longer.  She also started refusing baths, but that's just more of the same thing - the "you can't make me" syndrome.   But the emotionally-sided brain doesn't care for facts.  My parental anxiety doesn't come out because of strangers, or random accidents, or horrible diseases Britton might catch, or where Britton will go to college.  My anxiety has always been inexplicably linked to Britton not sleeping.  Not just "oh, she's delaying bedtime for 30 minutes."  It goes more along the line of, "If Britton doesn't go to sleep when she gets in bed, and gets out of bed every five minutes, then she will never go to sleep tonight or any other night for the rest of my life and I will have to spend the next 17 years trying to get my child to go to sleep."  Ridiculous, I know.  I can hear it in my own head.  But at the time, it doesn't seem ridiculous, it seems all too real a possibility.

So, because of that, I can't be in charge of getting her back to bed.  She begs me to take her to my bed, she cries for one more story.  In short, I want to cave in the hopes she'll get back in bed.  But we all know she won't.  And no extra book will ensure Britton just go back to being a kid that stays in her bed.

The hub, however, approaches it differently, and in my opinion, correctly.  He meets her at her door (no peaks at the fun night life that tempts her to get up), puts her back in bed, puts the blanket on her, and leaves the room.  No drama, no yelling, no threats.  If she gets up again, he does the exact same routine again.

Sunday night she screamed and yelled and cried and carried on until 9:36 pm.  For reference, she goes to bed around 7:00 pm.  But last night, she gave up after about 4 trips out of bed, and was asleep by 8:00ish.  We are hoping that tonight the whole fiasco lasts even less time.  

Part of me is thinking, "We already did sleep training at 4 months old!  Why do I have to do this all over again?"  It does seem really unfair to go through sleep training twice.  But it really comes down to being the authority in the house.  The hub and I have to be the ones calling the shots, making the rules, enforcing those rules, and punishing with logical consequences when the rules are broken.

In short, I have to be an adult.  Ugh.

howdy Pennsylvania!

In less than one month, we will no longer be residents of the state of Texas.  It's odd to write this, as I haven't even said it out loud more than five times since we found out late last week.  It won't be our first move, not by a long shot, but hopefully it'll be our last move for at least a long time.

All of our moves have been spurred on by the hub's new jobs.  Luckily, the new jobs have always been better, higher up in position and salary, than the previous one.  And this time it's the same.  The hub's new job is a great fit for him, but it also takes us from Texas to.........Pennsylvania.

Where's Pennsylvania?  Can I come too?

I'm not going to lie - I want to leave Texas.  No offense to anyone who lives here or loves it here, but I just can't do it anymore.  Here's my list of grievances, all for the sake of keeping it real:

1.  The number one issue we have with Texas is the overwhelming heat.  It is summer here from February to November, and we can't even spend five minutes outside during July and August.  

2.  The traffic.  We live between Fort Worth and Dallas, and anywhere we ever go (grocery store, daycare, hub's work) is a fight.  There is traffic all the time, and if it rains the hub's commute goes from over an hour to over two hours.  Each way.

3.  Related to #2 - the housing.  While housing prices here are ridiculously low, and you get a lot for your money, we can't live any closer to the hub's office than we do now.  Because to be within 20 miles of his office, we'd either be priced out (think starting prices of $700,000) or in the ghetto.  No.

4.  The drivers - related to #2 as well.  When I went to a CLE two weeks ago, I had to drive to Dallas for two days.  On the drive home, I had to merge into the right lane for my exit.  As I always do, I put on my blinker and waited for the person next to me to let me over.  Instead, he sped up and drove next to me so I couldn't get over.  In general, the drivers in Texas drive me (bad pun intended) up a wall.  And don't get me started on the amount of people I see driving with a cell phone either stuck to their head or texting.  

I won't miss those things, not at all.  But like every place I've lived, there are bad and good aspects.  And I'll definitely miss some things about Texas.  "Mommy" horse for one.  I stopped last week and fed her (it's actually a "him") Britton's discarded apple, and boy did that put a smile on her face!  I see this horse at least twice a day, and I will miss Mommy horse, I really will.

I will also miss wearing cowboy boots without people thinking I'm trying to imitate Taylor Swift's fashion sense.  Everyone here wears boots and cowboy hats, even to weddings and with tuxes!  I won't stop wearing my cowboy boots, but if they ever wear out, I know that they will be impossible to replace in Pennsylvania.

And I know that I really want seasons and snow and all that, but come December, I will miss the mid-50s temps and no-snow-covered roads!  I think the hubs has forgotten how much he detests shoveling snow.

We've already started staging the house, pulling all personal items and photos and cleaning like mad!  I've tried to get before and after pictures, but I keeping forgetting about the "before."  We did the yard today, and on to the living room tomorrow.  

feeling crafty

I've been loving mercury glass. For Thanksgiving I made "faux mercury glass" votive holders based off of a Martha Stewart tutorial, and they turned out well. Turns out all you need is Krylon Looking Glass spray paint!

The other day I got the idea of combining mercury glass and an old wooden frame window. But, turns out I don't have an old wooden frame window. So I hopped onto Craigslist and found one! I brought it home and set it up on some sawhorses. First I hosed all the dirt and grime off, then I taped off the window panes.

Look at that old peeling paint.  I love it.  What lead paint?

Just spray the panes with a water bottle, covering the panes with little drops of water, then spray the Looking Glass spray paint in multiple coats. After it dries, just wipe off the paint that had water trapped under it - it makes it look like old mercury glass. I also sponged on some grey paint to give it an even older look.

Originally, I was going to put it above the fireplace, leaning on the mantel.  The window is too heavy to hang anywhere, without some major work.  But then I decided to put it on the front hall console table.  It just seemed like it belonged there.

On the sewing front, I've been inundated with ideas for quilts - way more quilts that I can ever make.  I've laid out one baby quilt, collected fabric for another baby quilt, and finally decided on the pattern for my "Salt Air" charm packs...

I have no idea what the pattern of that block is, but I was instantly excited when I saw it.  I've had trouble finding the right pattern for this fabric, mainly because I don't want anything too precious or, on the other hand, too difficult and time-consuming.  Here's the rest of the fabrics from the line...

And I'm finally quilting my granny squares quilt!  I was steadily making these blocks every day, but there's 20 total and it just took a while.  I finally got the top put together, and now I'm hoping to have it finished by next week.

Here's the backing for the granny squares quilt.  I found it in a wood chest from Memaw, and I liked that it incorporated so many colors.

And, finally, a square from the granny squares quilt inspired this start.  Sixteen 2.5 inch squares per block. Twenty blocks in the quilt.  Colors look familiar?  They should to any Mountaineers fans.......

More to come!

twinkle toes via video

As promised, here is a video of Britton's dance recital.  Warning - it is a long video, so I figure nobody except the grandparents will make it all the way through!  Notice that the teacher is standing on the right side of the stage - none of the kids take their eyes off her.  I so remember those days!  Enjoy!

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first ballet recital

Britton's ballet recital was this morning! The hub and I took Britton to daycare early this morning, since she was supposed to be there at 7:30 am for the 8:00 am recital. I got Britton dressed in her white leotard and white tights, and she decided to add the tutu and blue beaded necklace. She even let me put her hair in a bun! We treated her to the breakfast of champions - cinnamon toast. A Sunday morning staple in our house.

When we got to daycare we were told Britton could go to her class and the teacher would pick her up from there.  We went and hung out, and let me tell you.  Remember when you were in school and would have died of embarrassment if anyone saw you even somewhat near one of your parents?  Daycare is the total opposite - parents are cool!

After Britton finished her cinnamon toast and apple, the hub was getting antsy and we decided to go to the big room where the recital was being held.  A handful of parents were already there, hogging the best seats.  So we readied our camera and video camera and just hung out until the teacher arrived.  

I have a story to share here, and it's the perfect example of why many women don't have "mommy friends."  The teacher came into the recital room and asked in general if their kids were in their classrooms (Britton was the only kid there).  All the moms said yes, and one mom replies, "Yes, they're all waiting to get picked up in their rooms.  Well......(turns around to stare at Britton and me)...I guess not all of them."  The hub looks at me and goes, "Really?  Are you kidding me?" just a touch louder than I would have ventured, but I seriously didn't mind him calling out this woman.  What does it matter where the kids are waiting?  Ugh.  Just ugh.

Dora the Ballerina said, "That's so rude!"

Anywho, the teacher wrangled up the kids and took them to the hallway to hand out tutus.  Britton wanted me to go with her, so I hung out while she picked the red tutu.  Then she began to "warm up".....

Time for the show!  I went back to the seats to sit with the hub, while the kids all lined up and made their way to the stage.  The teacher had all the kids say their name and do a spin, but Britton refused to talk.  

Are you noticing  here that all the kids (other than Britton) have a leotard proudly proclaiming the dance school's name and logo in silver glitter?  Yeah, I don't know why everyone is wearing them, because the instructions just said to get a white leotard.  And we all know how ridiculously difficult that was for me!  

Britton did so well!  She did three dances, and then a girl in her class decided to bolt from the stage to go to the potty.  Well, that gave Britton her out, and she looked at me with the pouty mouth and the hands waving frantically towards me.  I certainly didn't want her to hate being up there, so I motioned to her that she could come sit with us.  Then, a couple more girls gave up and trickled into the audience.  At this age, you kind of expect it.  So all the girls were invited back up to the stage to take a bow.  

We are so proud of Britton!  She did a great job and really enjoyed herself.  I'll try to add video later if the computer will cooperate!

memaw's visit

On Monday Memaw came to visit us! She and PawPaw moved about a month ago, and while it might seem long to us, it probably seemed like ages to Memaw. Britton with randomly bring Memaw and PawPaw up, always saying that they are on a trip. And it's hard to explain to her the difference between their trip (not coming back) and the hub's business trips (is coming back). And we didn't tell Britton until Sunday that Memaw was coming, so that she wouldn't have to wait a long time.

 On Monday, I picked up Britton from daycare before lunch and we went to the airport to get Memaw. Britton was so patient I was thoroughly impressed, though she did get scared of the parking garage (too dark and loud) and the public toilets! She has always hated public toilets because of the loud whooshing sound they make when flushing, and I think the poor thing thinks it will pull her down the drain! Long way around a short story, I know.

 Anywho, we found Memaw and headed back to the house with some Chick-fil-A. On Tuesday we baked an Italian Cream Cake for Memaw's old coworkers, and she and Britton went up to our old place of work to visit. I stayed home to work. On the way home, Memaw treated Britton to In-N-Out Burger (Britton's first time!) and some ice cream, and then Britton crashed out in the car.

On Wednesday Memaw took Britton to the zoo! Britton was over the moon about this because when she got home she was as excited as I've ever seen her. She was naming off animals, and just lit up.

Here's Britton covered in sunscreen!  I think my camera's flash is too bright, judging by Britton's squinting eyes!

After the zoo, Britton and Memaw went into Britton's room to play so I could finish up my work.  Here is Britton "putting Memaw down for her nap."  I joined the party soon after, and Memaw enticed Britton to show off her ballet skills for us!  Britton has her recital on Monday, and up until yesterday I had never seen Britton dance.  She is so expressive, and points her toes, and really enjoys the music.  It made Memaw and me quite mushy!

Not one to let an opportunity slip away, the hub and I left Memaw in charge and had a quick date night at Cheesecake Factory last night!  We brought desserts home, and all of us went upstairs to veg and eat cheesecake!  This morning the hub took Memaw to the airport early, so I didn't see them off properly.  But just as I was getting roused up to get ready, I noticed a little head poking up at the end of the bed.  Britton crawled into bed with me, telling me she wanted Memaw back.  We all do Britton!  

cammy's quilt

Back in November I ordered fabric from the "Going Coastal" line with the intent of making my mom a quilt.  She lives at the beach and isn't a "pastel" kind of gal, so I knew the theme and colors would be perfect for her.  The holidays and life in general got in the way, and add to that the entire month it took to finish my sister's quilt, and I couldn't get a quilt finished for Cammy for Christmas. So, I decided to set my sights on Mother's Day.

I was having the most trouble with a pattern! I bought fat quarters (18" by 21" pieces of fabric), not precut squares or strips. So every option was open, which made it that much harder. I didn't want anything too small - certainly didn't want to chop up those adorable crabs! So I decided on a disappearing nine-patch pattern.

I added the sand-colored border because when I got the quilt pieced together, it was just too small for a lap quilt.  I'm a big fan of quilts at least reaching the entire length of your body, because what good is a quilt if it doesn't keep your toes warm?

Anyone recognize that backing fabric?  It's our "tablecloth" from Thanksgiving!  I knew I wanted to use it on a quilt, and the orange just fit this quilt so well.  There wasn't enough fabric (only 3 yards), so I pieced together some leftover patterned fabric, tan from the front, and leftover white.

I straight-line quilted 1/4 inch on either side of the blocks...

Then did my loopy free motion quilting on the border.  I love those crabs so much that they ended up in both of my granny squares quilts!

The binding was the incredible madras plaid fabric from the collection.  It had every color from the fabrics within it, and as the Big Lebowski Quilter might say, "Really tied the quilt together!"

happy mother's day!

Britton's daycare class always makes Mother's Day gifts, and every year they are a hoot. Last year I got the decorated flower pot and purple flower (still alive!). This year I got a coupon book - good for "one free hug" and "breakfast in bed," a construction paper flower, and a construction paper flower basket.

The best part was this questionnaire. Britton's teacher Ms. I told me Britton's answers were her favorite, and I have to agree - her answers made me happy!

This morning, Britton wandered into our room at 6:51 am (oh, the humanity!) and the hub reached over and handed me my card and present. He gave me a gift card for a massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure! I'm calling tomorrow to book it, as I've been whining about needing a massage for months, and my feet look like a giant callus. True story. So, we spent the day hanging out, and the hub made breakfast and wrangled Britton most of the morning. Late this morning we went to Lowe's for a new tree (one of ours out front has been replaced three times, and we're just giving up on its location).

 But this afternoon Miss Britton turned into a royal pain, and I was at my breaking point with her. She kept "having accidents" even though we had asked her repeatedly if she had to go to the bathroom. Then she would refuse to change out of her wet clothes. I was sick of hearing her say "no" and I was about to show her how much, when the hub talked her into some cooperation and an apology. I took her outside to distract her from her mood, and remembered a little spray bottle I had in my cleaning supplies. We took it outside and sprayed down chalk drawings to darken their color. This provided some entertainment for the rest of the afternoon, and no more whiny obnoxious behavior out of Britton.

Britton's "artwork."

Happy Mother's Day!

working from home...a pictorial

I've been working from home since August, and while it was a huge adjustment at first, it's been relatively normalizing since. Of course, back then (when I didn't know any better) I promised myself I'd still do "all the things I do for work now." I may have even believed it, or at least pretended to. But, no, it started to slip.

First was the make-up application.  Not anymore.  And cute clothes?  Ha!  My poor beautiful work clothes are all lined up in the closet, while I alternate among a pair of jeans, some capris, and various tee-shirts.  No stretchy pants...yet.  No pajamas either.  With the make-up went the jewelry.  It's just hard to put effort into your appearance when no one sees you.

See how she's wearing make-up and brushed her hair and is dressed well?  This woman does not work from home!

I still do shower, though if my hair's a little greasy and I don't feel like taking a shower, then I don't.  Basically because there is no office full of people to notice that my hair could hold itself in a ponytail without the help of an elastic band.  

When people find out I work from home, I inevitably get some form of "How wonderful that you get to be home with your daughter all day!"  And I reply, "Actually, she goes to daycare."  And insert the awkward pause here because people find it odd that I stay home to work but I don't keep my daughter with me.  Truth is, these judgers have no idea what it is I do from home.  I am an oil and gas title attorney.  I read title documents to determine who owns what minerals and how much each person owns.  This requires me to read hand-written deeds from 1840, apply intestate succession and distribution laws to the facts, and write an opinion that is 100% correct.  I can't do that and entertain Britton.  Neither would turn out well.

Let's be honest - this woman is not getting any work done with those kids throwing Cheerios at her computer screen

Working from home always seems like a win-win when I have to get Britton to a doctor's appointment, or an emergency comes up, or I want to run an errand, like go to the post office, when it's not lunchtime and overflowing with people on their lunch breaks.  When Britton forgets her Winnie at home, I can take it back up to the daycare without "being late to work."  Britton gets more sleep in the morning, gets picked up earlier from daycare, and now spends over an hour less a day in daycare than she did when I worked outside the house.  No longer do I listen to traffic reports with trepidation - my commute to daycare is less than 5 miles away, and once I'm home I'm technically at work.

But..............it's not all sunshine and roses.  Because while I get a flexible schedule, I also no longer get work lunches, daily socialization, and the connection with other people who don't live with you.  Saying hello to Britton's daycare teacher doesn't count as actual human interaction (and neither do my conversations with Sadie the Wonder Dog).  

"Barb, this fruit salad is delish!"

So I inevitably rely too much on the hub or my sister or anyone who mistakenly calls my phone to give me an outlet for socialization.  I play music to distract from the fact that I don't hear another person's voice for nine hours, until I go pick up Britton.  When I actually do speak out loud during the day, it startles me.  This, coming from a person who used to argue in court all day long, and not so long ago.  

So I guess I'm still figuring out how it works.  And if it will work.  But for now, it works.  Just, please - if I start wearing stretchy pants, please someone stage an intervention, will you?