weekending

I hope you had a productive, happy weekend. Mine involved lots of sewing, napping, churching, and hanging out with the fam. Happy Sunday, everyone!

succulent sunday

It’s darned near impossible not to fall asleep in this room on a sunny day.

More on our dear little sun room another time — I hope you’re having a gloriously peace-full Sabbath!

hand stitching

This little baby quilt has been hanging around for a couple of weeks now, all finished except for the binding. I always put off the hand-sewing part because I have this weird phobia that it’s going to be so slow and time-consuming and blah blah blah. But once I make myself just sit the heck down, it’s like this instant major relaxant. Plus it makes me feel like a little prairie mama — stitching in my lap, a baby in the tub, and a baby at my feet.

Jessica over at Twin Fibers has made some incredibly gorgeous baby quilts with this same pattern recently. So pretty!

interesting equations

You guys give the best advice.

So I called the pediatrician’s billing office. Right away, the representative said, “Oh, there’s a mistake on here.” There were two charges — one for $160 and one for $92 — and apparently the second one shouldn’t have been there at all. When I pressed her a little and said that $160 still seems awfully high for something that, really, should be free, she told me that the visit had been coded as a sick child visit. (Seriously? A weight check and dosage adjustment = sick baby?)

She’s looking into it; I’m supposed to call back on Friday. I’m feeling optimistic about it.

FOURTEEN DAYS!! That’s how long we’ve got until The Man comes home for a blissful nine-day vacay. He graduates from OCS and will officially become a 2nd Lieutenant in one week, and I couldn’t be prouder. We thought about having me fly out there for the graduation festivities, but the logistics of it all (flight + car + hotel + childcare on this end + fancy dress + nursing baby) threatened to make our heads explode every time someone brought it up, so the girls and I are waiting for him to come to us.

I hope your day was beautiful — and that you had a little moment to do a little feet-putting-up, too.

giant repository for all things mama

Since Maren is on more of a predictable schedule now, I’ve been crafting at night a lot more. It’s so nice. A few days ago I was thinking about all the stuff I’m going to have to schlep along with me on our trip to SC, and I quickly realized that I’m going to need a bigger diaper bag. A much bigger diaper bag. So behold! The queen mother of all mama bags, completed this afternoon: the Birdie Sling.

And since today is indeed my 26th, this is how I feel about it (the bag):

Despite being away from my one true love, it was a really great birthday. My sister took Lizzy to her house while my mom and I and Maren went to lunch at Tomatina’s, then my mom went and got Lizzy while Maren and I napped. When I woke up, Lizzy had just gone down for a nap and Maren was still sleeping, which is where we are at this very moment. When the girls wake up, we’ll have something to eat, then be off to the Farmer’s Market for some tasty stone fruits, then to the park, then to bed! Talk about a great day.

no baby yet, but we had a fab fire n’ franks in logan canyon last night.

outside

It’s been so nice to get outside! May is by far and away the most wonderful month in Utah (in my book, anyway). This morning Lizzy and I played with Tina, Diane, and their kids at Ryan’s Place Park — coolest park ever — there’s a separate play area for toddlers and everything. We’ve got to get over there a few more times before the move! Lizzy had a great time, though it may not exactly look like it here.

Later on, we took Lizzy to the Logan River walk, down by the golf course — another place we’d never been and are now kicking ourselves for not going sooner! It was so gorgeous and peaceful with the sound of the river (really high right now) and all the birds singing. Lizzy loved running along the trail. Mama brought up the rear. Slowly.

After our walk: dinner, jammies, bedtime for the Miss, and fist-shaking at the nut-job Libertarian whackos making outrageous comments about public libraries on the Herald Journal’s web site (sorry to my Libertarian friends, unless you agree with the statements made in that discussion, in which case I have no reservations about calling you a nut-job Libertarian whacko to your face, and in which case you’d probably take that as a compliment anyway).

Ahem. Tonight, R and I are finishing up a stellar documentary, God Grew Tired of Us, which is about a few of the Sudanese “lost boys” who come to the US as refugees and their experience integrating into society here. It’s fascinating and so well done.

Love to all. For reals.

picnic in the park

Warm-weather picnics are one of my favorite things in the whole world. Today was perfect for a dinner picnic — warm air, a slight breeze, beautiful buttery light, and soft green grass. I love you, Lundstrom Park.

The food: tabbouleh, homemade bread, Rockhill gouda, watermelon chunks, and pink lemonade. Ahhhh.

We just put the Miss to bed, and a lovely evening is stretching out ahead of us: reading, sewing, talking, and just being.

bliss

paper piecing, or, i heart new projects

It’s taken a while to figure out, but I’m finally learning something about myself: when I don’t have an exciting project in the works, I get bored and lazy and grinchy. Is that weird? I’m not sure if I’ve always been that way, or if this is a recent development.

A few nights ago I started learning English paper piecing. It’s something I’ve been wanting to try, but have been nervous about because of all its (to me) unknowns. But I found a really awesome tutorial on Cia’s Palette, and the Mama Muffin sent some beautiful fabric my way last week that seemed perfect for it. So away we go! And it’s a wonderful activity for curling up with a movie and a treat.

Speaking of treats, that brings us to new project number two. No details yet, but it has a great deal to do with this seriously amazing book. Seriously.