Really Random Rambling

Yes, I know. It's been 10 days since I updated. Family members are reminding me of that, so I figured I had better get going. The problem is that I have a bunch of pictures on the camera that haven't found their way onto the computer yet...and it's been crazy around this house.

But...for your viewing pleasure. Check out the cutest little legs getting ready for a run through the sprinkler. He llllooovvvess the sprinkler. And yes, sometimes we skip the shorts and stick with the swim dipe around here.

And that belly? How kissable is that! It's getting bigger. Seriously, he must be going through a growth spurt because he can't. get. enough. to. eat.

And thanks to cousin Em, Wyatt is now a forced K-State fan. Not that we mind. I think K-State wins the award for most family members who attended there, but we're just not really sports fans (have I mentioned that I love that about my husband?). The funny thing is that Wyatt has a bunch of random sports clothing. There was the Milwaukee Brewers sweatshirt (thanks to the Schmidts!), and it's a good thing the Brewers are in the National League because otherwise this MN girl wouldn't have thought it was so cute. But he looked adorable in that sweatshirt! There have been several Arizona State outfits (thanks, Uncle Ryan), a Gophers polo onesie (thanks, Grandpa), and I think there's an IA Hawkeyes t-shirt for a year or two down the road (thanks to my aunt).

But I love his expression in this picture. The patient boy letting his sweet cousin dress him up.

And last but not least...this may be my favorite picture of him...ever. Melts. my. heart. He and his dear cousin Em. Now if only we can get him to do that with his mama for some professional shots in a few weeks...

Okay, enough rambling. See what happens when I'm reminded to update? Goodnight!

A Year and A Quarter

Wyatt is 15 months, and I've said this every month, but I really love this age. He understands so

much now and is communicating with us...even if we don't understand his words. "Degnum" anyone? In the last week he has gotten very good at shaking his head no and clapping for yes. Last weekend he had a five-day viral fever - yuck, yuck! He wasn't hungry at dinner, but around 9:30 when the medicine had kicked in he woke up and cried and cried. I couldn't figure out what was wrong when it hit me. I asked, "Wyatt, are you hungry? Do you want some milk?" Big grin and giggles - clap, clap! "Do you want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?" Bigger grin, louder giggles, more claps. Love it!

He also has his first chore. Since he likes to push chairs around so much, he now pushes his highchair back into the corner after every meal and snack. Such a big helper!

Daddy figured out a solution to his attempts to look out the front window. He just needed a few more inches, so now he stands on his cobbler's bench. Works great! Now he can see the "cas" and the "guks" all by himself.

Stuff I've Made (or Found Super Cheap at a Garage Sale)

Summer really is a bad time to take on sewing projects. I don't have a garden this year, so I thought it would be a breeze. Right, Dana.

I have gotten several projects crossed off my list (more slowly than I've added them, sadly), and I've had plenty of fun in the process.

First, curtains. So nice to have curtains up in our family room. While I love the colors, it's a whole lot of solid blahness right now. We took down the sagging broken vertical blind/curtains on the sliding door that in their day were extremely functional. They made it 20 years only to succumb to a one year old. In their place we hung khaki grommet curtains, thanks to Lowes. I love the grommets because they open and close really easily and they hold their shape well.

There are five windows in our family room, not including the sliding door, so on three of them I took $7.99 curtains from Target and customized them. This is the first finished one.

I lurve this fabric. I picked it out months ago, and fell in love all over again when I spread it out to cut it. You know it's good fabric when that happens.

So far two windows are done and strips are cut for the third. I just have to rip about 120" of seam before I can start the next panel. The curtain fabric is a really loose weave, so it takes a lot longer than I thought. I'm still working on a valance design for the two narrow end windows. Hubby really dislikes covered windows (I don't really like them either), so the valances have to be pretty short. The nice thing about the curtains is that we hung them wider than the window to make it look wider but we hardly covered it up at all, and we're both happy.

Summer's first project was a big fun bag. I looked for the right fabric for quite awhile, but I couldn't decide if I wanted a sweet, girlie bag or a fun and funky one. Then I saw this line from Moda and got the best of both worlds. I sometimes wish I made it a little bigger, but it's just small enough that I can still find my keys. That's a good thing. Thanks to My Spare Time for the free tutorial!

My oldest niece turned 8 (of all things! - she's supposed to stay little!) this summer. For her birthday she wanted things for her room she's redecorating. Her momma told me she wants a black and white room with purple and blue for accents. She mentioned a pillow with some fur and something satiny. OOOOOOoooohhhh fun! I never get to make this stuff!

Wyatt and I jumped in the car and headed on over to Hobby Lobby where we found fur, satin, fluffy trim, and a little bling.

The other side. It might be a little hard to tell, but the black is a black on black animal print. Just a warning, the white curly fleece is a mess to work with, but it was definitely worth it. And I now have an order in for a Christmas gift for the birthday girl's little sister. The fabric is picked out and the pillow is designed in my head. Better add that one to the Finish-Before-Thanksgiving-List.

I also finished my denim skirt made from jeans and an old t-shirt. Note to self: follow the tutorial and use straight jeans rather than boot-cut. I like the skirt, but it needs shortening before it gets posted.

The last pic is my favorite find from garage saling last weekend. Our living room is still rather short on furniture, and I was just beginning to wonder what to put on the wall opposite the window when I stumbled upon this shelf and frame unit...for $9. I actually drove away from it for about 15 minutes, called Randy, and then turned around to go back. Somehow we fit it in the trunk of my Focus (well, almost. It was a slow drive home), and I immediately set it up. Turns out it's a perfect display spot for the vintage spools we keep finding at garage sales, adds a little more personality to the living room, and Wyatt has learned not to climb on it.

Now, for a funky and functional piece to use for a coffee table...and one more chair.

Pregnancy: 50's Style

Another excerpt from You and Your Baby: A Guide for Prenatal Care, published 1949 by (get this) the Pet Milk Co.

This gem is from the chapter "Hygiene of Pregnancy."

Clothing - Keep yourself looking nice. This will help to keep you in a happy and contented frame of mind which is good for both you and your baby. In spite of her expanding figure, the pregnant mother develops a special radiance or attractiveness that is a reflection, perhaps, of her pride and satisfaction in the wonderful task she is performing...

Clothing should be adequate for warmth. Garter-bands and rolled stockings [so glad these are out of style!] tend to interfere with circulation. By avoiding them you can help to prevent swelling of feet and ankles [I wish that was the only thing that caused it!]...Wear heels that are not more than one and one-half inches high.

Some mothers, in later months of pregnancy, need to wear a maternity corset [ohhh mercy]...It should be carefully fitted, to provide support for your body where needed. Non-elastic material is preferrable. Elastic loses its strength. [ah, so glad elastic has made strides]

Bathing - Bathe regularly just as you normally do...Frequent bathing is important throughout pregnancy. [as opposed to....]

Smoking - In the case of the woman who is accustomed to smoking and does not wish to give up the habit during her pregnancy, there is no reason to believe that a moderate number of cigarettes, say a dozen or less per day, will do her any harm. [WHAT!?!?!?!]

Alcoholic Beverages - Somewhat more restraint is advisable as to drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy. A cocktail or highball now and then certainly does no harm. [Oh this kills me!] Any excessive drinking should indeed be strictly avoided.

Hope you enjoyed those last two as much as I did! I don't think my doctor would recommend this book.