Cherish Every Day as Though it's Their Last...

I will be taking a break - possibly permanent - from blogging. I'm reprioritizing everything and am not sure this falls anywhere near the top.

Licorice passed away suddenly, but very peacefully, on Saturday evening. We'll be having a private service for her Wednesday morning so send a prayer for her if it feels right to you.

Love and light.

Sewing Projects

 This morning I am off on our first 'big' vacation with Little B. We are going to the lovely town of Mt. Shasta to visit my sister (whom I haven't seen in two and a half years) and meet her little one who turns two in a week.

Before I depart I wanted to share a couple of little projects.

Weeks ago I was prompted to make these cloth balls. I really wanted Bronwyn to have a ball to explore with her hands and her mouth. Thus, the need for cloth and not plastic. While they don't bounce, they're so much fun. The papa found out that a little bounce with them on the forehead elicits a great deal of deep belly laughter.

I also was inspired to make a few gifts that were multi-functional. In this case, lavender rice pillows.

Not only can they heat the space where you lay your little one, they help to calm and soothe when placed nearby. Also, they can turn into doll pillows once little hands start getting interested in playing big.

 

I also really loved sewing the names freehand; it's a great confidence builder. The tricky part is making sure the lettering is in the middle, not too far up or down, or left or right. I still have work to do with this but am happy with how the cursive turned out.

I will have some more projects to share after the birthday presents get opened...the mountain life gets explored...two little cousins meet...and two sisters get to have some good time together!

Licorice, a.k.a. Louie, a.k.a. Dootie, a.k.a. Lu, a.k.a. Fluffmutt and the List Goes On...

Thank you for all your thoughts for Licorice that were emailed and left in the comments. I believe she is going to be fine. Louie has never had any signs of any health issues related to what happened this week, so it was quite shocking. It was a grand mal seizure which can be caused by many different things.

My personal beliefs about dis-ease is that there is a reason for her to present these symptoms. She has definitely taken a step down from being the center of my attention since Little B was born. I believe that this is in part, why she had illness arrive. I also believe that pets absorb energy from their owners preventing them from getting ill (particularly with dogs 'holding' the cancer for their companion).

I've done some BodyTalk sessions on her (addressing a parasite in the brain and more) and also hired Katherine at Bay Area Body Talk to do a session. We're giving her lots of love and good energy towards health.

Dootie Dude is very dear to me and this made me remember and reexamine how precious and fleeting life can be. She has been at my side long before I've known most people in my life now. She is truly a companion like no other.

I am very grateful to have her enriching our lives and teaching me about love, acceptance, control, sensitivity and...

 ...Jedi mind tricks...the force is strong with this one.

Quotable Sunday

Pray for what you cannot see.
Pray clearly
for what you can only faintly grasp.
Pray silently
from the core of your being.
Pray for healing.
Pray for humanity.

Pray lovingly
Pray deeply ---
pray so deeply that
the prayer and the praying
become one.


- Charlie Elkind from WorldPrayer.org

***

 
Please keep my dog, Licorice, who had a seizure yesterday, in your prayers. Thank you.

The Sinful Sweater

When I was pregnant, I came across this cute cardigan on Knitty, and I knew I had to make it for my little one.

Knowing how quickly babies grow out of clothes when they're newborn, I decided to make it the 6-12 month size.

 

  

 

Trouble is, sizing is tricky. Little B just turned seven months old and fits perfectly into a lot of 12 month clothes.

So, imagine my dismay when I tried it on her * just to see how it looked * to find that the sleeves were ALREADY too short. Her first time of wearing it, and it's too small. I mean, just look at this:

That's some serious wrist pudge peeking out. Bronwyn is definitely blessed with some long limbs.

I didn't stay frustrated for too long though. And this is why: she really wanted to hold this apple when I tried it on her.

 

Making references to biblical stories at such a young age already... Little B has a lot to teach us.

For you knitters out there, the pattern is here. Unfortunately, I lost the label so I can't tell you what yarn I used. For the locals, it was an organic cotton from Knitterly in Petaluma.

Quotable Sunday :: These are a Few of My Favorite Things...

"When the dog barks, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember a few of my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad."

- Oscar Hammerstein II

Oh that Julie Andrews. She is definitely one of my favorite things.

I'm actually not feeling bad, but thought I would share a few of my favorite weekend things to do:

Eat yummy (and sometimes not so healthy) breakfast foods. One of my recent discoveries is Stuffed French Toast from The Joy of Cooking.

Bake! I baked another blueberry pie this weekend.

 

This one is vegan, and was MUCH harder to put together. The crust was crumbling apart and was not a joy to work with. The secret is...

 

...wax paper. (That is, rolling the dough between two pieces of wax paper.) I also used Earth Balance shortening which is healthier than Crisco, put probably also why it was harder to roll out, shape, etc. I will let you know how it tastes after tonight.

Which brings me to another favorite thing....eating with friends. Tonight we will see some dear friends who have two very beautiful babes.

 

Finally, bathing with my beauty. Oh how she enjoys her bath times in the tub. Yahoo!

  

 

What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?

***
For more Quotable Sunday visit the are so happy blog.

It's in My Genes

When I was a little one, I remember my mom sewing and crafting all the time (well, at least when she wasn't antiquing). Each season she would be making something new. A bunny for Easter, a Santa Claus for Christmas, a quilt for our birthday, etc. She also spent a lot of time making clothes for us as well as our dolls. I don't mean simple outfits. I mean ruffles, layers, little flowers, little details everywhere...perfect clothes fit for only a princess.

So, it came as no surprise to hear that my mom is crafting something regularly now. During her non-work time she makes the fairies and mermaid you see here.

I think my two sisters and I were greatly influenced by this because we all craft now:

My oldest sister, Cindy, was the more artistic one when we were younger. Her drawings were amazing.


Which explains why the babies seen here, that she sells on E-bay, are so amazingly detailed yet SO small. How does she do it?

And check out these:



She also makes monkey and human baby reborns that are equally amazing.

My other sister Kim was the more bookish one of us all. Which explains why, when she first learned to quilt, she was quilting king-sized, appliqued quilts that same month (that's right folks, read it and weep...KING-SIZE)! She also taught herself to knit. A feat I never would have accomplished....talk about tenacity and patience.

I guess you could say, it's just in our DNA. The nurturing had a whole lot to do with it as well.

My mom just wrote this about her mom, my beloved and dearly missed, Grandma Thelma:

"I don't have the patience to quilt, it is sad I did not enjoy doing that like mom did. She would love the babies and fairies; she loved dolls. I think that is why we always had so many dolls and doll clothes. I still have a few Tammy clothes she made me; the coat is lined and has fur at the top with little pearl buttons. She wouldn't let me have Barbie and Ken because Barbie had big boobs."

I have very fond memories of Grandma Thelma having a quilting bee with her Mormon friends and everyone hand-quilting a gigantic quilt together.

***

With the holidays around the corner, it's a great time to buy your loved ones a doll, monkey or fairy. Check their store out here; their customer rating is 99.9% positive. Talk about customer satisfaction! Plus, I heard that Cindy is doing commission work if you have someone in mind...