One Step Report #2

This week was a different sort of week.  I need to remember that the weeks when I’m the one driving the kindergarten mid-day carpool are very different (and not nearly as productive) as the weeks when I get to stay home, waiting for my daughter to step through the door.

This week I recorded 35 steps.  Most of them were in the area of nurturing, discipline, and home management.  While I do not feel that I gained any ground this week, I am grateful that I was able to at least maintain a few things.  My little girls still have a clean room, my kitchen has been consistently clean, and there has been no clean laundry piled in my bedroom.

For some reason this week was a little bit harder emotionally, a little harder to feel happy with myself.  One night as I was cleaning the kitchen, I overheard something that my husband said to our son.  They were watching a surfing video online (Mr. Wonderful is a surfer) and he said to our son, “It’s about using what the wave has to offer.”  Light bulbs went off in my head and I thought, “It’s about using what the day has to offer.”  My days offered different opportunities this week than last week, many of which I could have done without.  But I did my best to be cheerful and work toward my goals.  This was a week of learning more lessons instead of accomplishing tasks.

I do have two things worth mentioning specifically:

photo book

I uploaded 150 photos of our family from 2009 and had a photo book made with them.  It was so awesome to receive the book at the end of the week and read through it!  If I get no other memory projects done for last year, we have this, and it is a great snapshot of our family at this stage.

It was in beautiful condition for about 90 minutes.  I then left to pick up a daughter from gymnastics, during which time someone chose to eat a homemade granola bar while they read it, and left tons of crumbs in the pages of the book.  When I discovered it the next morning, there were oil spots and sticky spots in many places.  Bummer!  So, do I let myself feel frustrated with my children for misusing something that should last, or should I be grateful that they wanted to read it?  I considered both options, then shrugged my shoulders and moved on.

Second thing:

Rouenneries quilt top

I stayed up late on Friday night to put together my first Rouenneries quilt top.  I’ve had this fabric for 2.5 months now, and decided that I deserved to break into it.  I love this fabric line!  Saturday night I was suddenly possessed with the urge to list my favorites of 2009 in the quilting world.  It was a lot of fun, and I’m excited to see what 2010 will bring in this fun hobby.

Looking back over the past 17 days, I realize that I need to give myself permission to sit down and pick up a good book.  I spend all my time working on things, but I’m not going to meet any of my goals unless I just do it.  I can’t keep saving books for when all my work is done.

So there’s my report.  I wonder what little steps will define the coming week….

I Kissed the Baby

If I had to choose just ONE book to read to my infants, it would be this one.

I Kissed the baby board book

This board book by Mary Murphy is an ABSOLUTE GEM.  It’s perfect for little ones.

I saw the baby

In black and white illustrations with large, fun print, we see different animals exclaim about their experience with the baby.  Each page is completely black and white with a border of bright color somewhere.

I fed the baby

Animals talk about seeing the baby, feeding the baby, tickling the baby, singing to the baby, and at last about kissing the baby.  And when it comes to kissing the baby, the mother duck says, “Of course I kissed the baby, my own amazing baby!”  (What mother doesn’t know that feeling?)

The book ends with another kiss from mother duck, and the baby duckling responding with lots of excitement.

I kissed the baby by Mary Murphy

I once handed this book to my mom, along with one of my infants, and told her that this book was my baby’s favorite.  My mom, who has raised 8 children of her own, read the book to my baby and then came back to say “When you said this was her favorite book, I thought that a baby really doesn’t get into books, but she REALLY likes this!”  I’m telling you, it’s perfect for little ones.  The colors, the simplicity, everything.

Here is my own baby playing with it yesterday.



baby playing with book

If you’re looking for a book for your little one, or a gift for any little one, please consider this wonderful little story.   You won’t regret it, and reading it will make sure you sneak in a few more kisses, too!


As I said, it’s an absolute gem.  My all-time favorite first book for a child.

Hopeful Homemaker

Fabric Favorites 2009

So, over at True Up , there’s been a giveaway running for those who submit their lists of favorite fabrics in 2009.  For some reason I didn’t feel like I had anything intelligent to add to the discussion until AFTER I started reading everyone’s submissions.  While I totally missed the contest, after reading the lists of others, I just have to chime in for the fun of it.

So here goes….

Favorite collection of 2009:
This is a tough one for me.  I  have two.  The first is Rouenneries , by French General for Moda.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this line of fabric.  For the first time in my life, I wanted a piece of EVERY print in a collection.  I already raved about it here .


My second favorite fabric line of the year was Whimsy by Pillow &  Maxfield for Michael Miller Fabrics.  I bought a ton of it in the pink colorway for my baby’s blanket, and designed a quilt for my niece in the emerald blue colorway.  This was just so vibrant, I loved it.  And did you know they just released the large whimsy prints in a new colorway at the beginning of January?  In aqua and chocolate brown?  Hello!  But I digress, for this is 2010, and I’m talking about 2009.



whimsy quilt

Favorite new designer:  I’d have to say Kaari Meng/French General .  I’ve been watching her for a couple of years now, and was super excited to see her first fabric line.

Favorite Solid fabrics:

Kona Cottons by Robert Kaufman
.  Love the variety.  Just wish I could find a local shop that carried a good selection of them.

Favorite new trend in quilting:  Ok, some might think this is on the edge, and to some it might be old, but to me it’s new.  Selvage quilting.  You can learn about it here .  I’ve always wished I knew what to do with the cute selvages when I cut them off, and now I wish I had them all back!  I’m collecting mine for some fun after I’ve got a good stash.  I want to make a spiderweb quilt like this one .  At least I discovered this in time for the neatest selvages ever, again from French General.  I LOVE the little design on each one.

Rouenneries selvage

Favorite colors:  I’ve been on this one for a few years now, but I’d still have to say aqua, white, and red.  Oh, how I love these colors together!  Most of my house is painted a shade of aqua.  I never get tired of it.  And if you want to see an adorable blog in all these colors, check out Camille Roskelley’s blog .  You’ll be happy if you do.

red, aqua and white fabric

Favorite go-to fabrics:  Polka dots.  I’m loving them as much today as when I first fell in love with them.

polka dot fabrics

Favorite holiday fabric (that I didn’t buy ANY of):

Spooktacular
by Sanae for Moda.  What was I thinking?  Oh yeah, I had a newborn baby then.  I guess that’s a good excuse.

Favorite out-of-the-ordinary collection:

Authentic
by Sweetwater.   I was really drawn to bolts of fabric with dictionary type pages printed on them.  I liked how unusual it was.

Favorite random print that I just loved:  Flower Power stripe in Heron blue by Lakehouse.  I went on a huge hunt to find some of this fabric.  Can’t wait to use it!

flower power by lakehouse

Favorite new quilt pattern that made me catch my breath:  Cotton Way’s Life’s Journey (which I haven’t bought yet, but really want to).  I saw it first on True Up’s post here .

Ok, I’ll stop there.  I can’t believe how much I found to love of the 2009 fabrics, even with how out of the loop I felt due to adding baby #8 to my life.  I’m sure 2010 will be just as wonderful!

Jennifer

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