Well Well

I honestly thought I'd be posting sooner than this. I guess the only excuse I have is that Declan demands a lot of my time. That is proven to me just now when, as I'm writing that last sentence, Declan ran up to me drag me away to his room. Anyways, I'm not here to make excuses or apologize, just to try to stay connected. I don't have too much happening right now other than the norm. I didn't get to the Y as much this week as I would have liked. I couldn't help that much since Declan has a little cold which is a big no no for the nursery there. Declan, some of our friends, and I went to the zoo this week. It was so great to go because it was actually a pretty cool day weather-wise. I did get a job this week which was pretty awesome. I am going to start babysitting a friend's child a few days every week. This job looks to be pretty permanent so it is great to feel like I am contributing again. It is kind of ironic though because I had just gotten to the point where I no longer felt guilty or less of a person because I wasn't bringing money into the house and now I have that opportunity to do so. I already told Brett that we are not counting it into our normal budget though because I won't aways have the job and there is no telling if I'll be needed one week and not the next. So hopefully any money I make can go into the fun or remodeling fund with no worries. I hope everyone has a great labor day weekend! Enjoy the picture of Declan at the balloon festival.

Absent

Yikes! It's embarrassing to see how long it has been since I have last posted. I wish I could say that all this time has been filled with adventure, fun, and gained life experience but unfortunately most of my time was spent gaining weight, being depressed about said weight, and working up the motivation to get out of the house. That is not to say there hasn't been a few wonderful moments in the past three months. For starters, Declan, my MIL, and I visited family in Florida. We went to the beach, an awesome vegan restaurant, and a balloon festival! It was great visiting with everyone there and I only wished Brett could have come along. Declan and I also visited with other family members in Colorado, more on that later. You might ask where Brett was, well he was very busy at work. One of the few pitfalls of his job is that summer is their crunch time. No trips, no vacation time, nothing but unpaid overtime for him during this season. It makes summer family vacations pretty much impossible. Hum...Another reason to home school maybe? Anyways everything is back on track. I have a weight loss plan(30min-2 hour workouts at the YMCA almost everyday), Brett's less busy at work, and Declan and I are getting out a lot more often. So check back often because I will be posting more in the coming weeks. I have several pictures and memories to share from Pagosa Springs. Also, I'm going to start a series on our bathroom remodel. Exciting stuff!

I think its safe to say that I'm on a craft kick. I guess I have Suzanne to thank for that. She made the most beautiful toys and purse last Christmas and it inspired me. This particular quilt was made last January for my cousin's son. It is my first quilt and the start of a new confidence in sewing. I've already had a couple of requests for more quilts. Compared to Lucian's quilt, this quilt is probably a more desirable size for extended family and friends. It took me two hours to complete and with very little materials. Much more fulfilling than running to the store.

Little something for Ris

I can't say that I am totally into this style of fabric but it screamed Rissie. It was once pants, yes pants, but they were way too small for her. It probably took me an hour to actually do this and I was able to salvage the lower leg ties for the accent. Overall it was fun and simple to do. I just love those projects! What is she going to do with something like this? Why hang it from the rear view mirror of her "enhanced" Hyundai of course.

Beautiful

No, I did not paint this, my friend Kesiah did. I happened to vocally admire it while visiting her house and she just gave it away. Yes, gave it away! Okay okay, maybe I'm more excited it about this than most but I think its great. Kesiah's not completely happy with it but she was done working on it and I was more than happy to hang it on my wall. Thanks Kesiah, I love to look at it every time I eat. :)

Sling

Declan has a new fascination with babies (Yay!). He was very interested in my sling so I made him his own. As you can see, this fabric is getting a lot of use.

Happy Birth Day Lucian!

I know this is a little late but better late than never. On May 27, our nephew was born. He surprised most of us by being a boy. I had planned to make a quilt and came really close to putting his possible girl name on it, I'm so glad I didn't. We got the call that he was born at 6:30am and since I was awake (thanks abilify and Declan), I got to work. I spent the next two hours completing this in time to take it to its recipient. I was disappointed and proud of it all at the same time. I could have done better but I really wanted to hand it over and be done with it. I hope Lucian grows up loving this blanket and he knows how much I loved making it for him. Happy Birthday Lucian.