Frenchy Bulletin Board

 

I have been meaning to update my message board area in the kitchen for a long time.

I stared at the blank board for a month before I finally got the ribbons and roses on.

I love how it turned out.  The roses are just rolled paper spirals that I pinned on with black-headed sewing pins.  I tried to use some of those decorative pushpins, but the pin part was too fat and dull to go through the ribbons, fabric and cork.  I think this turned out much better.  Funny how that happens sometimes.  ;>

In Progress: Sleeping

As we all know, babies spend most of the first three months of their lives asleep. I have been working here and there (not as steadily as I would like) on Alyxandria's quilt and some sheets for her first bed. I finished the quilt top last week (now it just has to be quilted), and I whipped up her first of two sheets this afternoon (must always have a change of sheets for babies).

I am so in love with this fabric! I want to buy a whole bolt and make bedding and curtains and dresses and skirts and capris and all kinds of other adorable things for my girls! I LOVE it!!

Sean set up the port-a-crib last night in our room. All of a sudden things are starting to feel very real and very soon. I can't help thinking of all the things I want to do or have done before the baby arrives; raised beds to put in, spring jammies made for the boys, books read, sheets made, crib set up, kids' bedrooms completely reorganized, Alyx's quilt finished, Montessori work areas set up for Anna in the living room, drapes hemmed, a floral photo collage on the landing, pictures hung, boxes sorted, flower seeds sown, etc., etc., etc. I know it is completely normal and natural to "nest" at this point. The challenge for me is trying to enjoy this preparation stage, instead of allowing myself to be stressed-out by it. Sean keeps telling me to breathe. The only problem with that is there is this baby in my stomach that is completely compressing my lungs. ;>

Bits and Pieces

I feel something of a compulsion to note the little happenings of our lives on my blog. My kids love to go through and peruse past posts. So, in that vane, here are some bits a pieces of our lives this past week. Anna and I finally finished our ladybug counting project. They line the front hall and Anna works on her numbers whenever they catch her fancy.

We made fimo necklaces in Activity Days and the kids wanted to try out the clay when we got home. Sean was gone that night so it turned out to be a bit of a lifesaver for my sanity. The kids were engrossed, and it was very relaxing to fiddle around with the substance for me, as well.

Our lovely cat (the cat formerly known as Gigi) is settling down quite a bit and we are enjoying him ever so much more now that his claws are clipped (yes, you read right - he is a he - not a she). Why we did not trim-up Greyor's little scratchy things sooner is beyond me. Anna keeps walking around the house telling Greyor he is a very good kitty now that doesn't scratch.

And, as you can see, we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new little sister. Clothes are washed and organized and hung; a quilt is planned and waiting to be started (maybe tomorrow!); a playpen is purchased to serve as her first bed; her newborn hat is knit, awaiting its final seam; and now we are waiting for the new carpeting that continues to be delayed (I think we are on our third revised delivery date) so that we can finally get the girls' room set-up complete with crib and a new bed for Annaliese. I am trying to get life as organized as possible to smooth this transition. But I hope I am wise enough to know that one can only do so much, and then one has to just accept things as they are. In the meantime, however, I do not wish to squander a single moment of time when I feel good enough to do something - anything. ;>

Before and After: Studio

We spent New Year's weekend in a very noisy mess of hammers and fancy nail guns and air compressors. It was a crazy, fun, wild ride, and I am delighted to be on the other side of it all this evening. The above room became my studio in earnest around the first of October. Halloween costumes had to be made and I needed a space to create three of them simultaneously. It was functional, but not ideal. I found it rather ugly and, so, did not take any pictures of it (a nasty habit of mine when it comes to before-and-after posts). Last Saturday Sean and I trotted off to Home Depot to take our first step towards making this room a beautiful creative space.

Upon removing the carpet we found press board. It all had to be ripped out and replaced with plywood. Sean painted for two evenings in the meantime. On Thursday the new plywood was nailed down and Sean and his dad spent an hour-and-a-half figuring out just the right patterning for the bamboo flooring (complete with computer renderings (oh, I love that man!)).

On Friday Sean's dad (yes, two whole days in a row, bless his heart) and my parents joined the party. It was ridiculously noisy. I tried to stay downstairs, away from the all the ear-blasting bangs and pops. By about seven o'clock that night we all sat down to ice cream sundaes and then sent everybody home, sore and exhausted.

Today was the fun stuff - the icing on the cake. Sean, Djeryd and I got to put it all together. It took us all day, but at a nice leisurely pace. Djeryd was a huge help. I am so pleased with the results. I know I still have a few days, if not weeks, of organizing all the junk that doesn't have a home yet. And there is still a work table to be constructed to give my new stools a home (not to mention all my paper-crafting supplies). Thanks go out to my parents and in-laws (Carol, thank you for loaning me your husband for two days), my kiddos, and of course my darling, wonderful husband who pushed ahead through every obstacle with a glowing smile on his face and reassuring words on his lips.

For kicks, Sean wanted me to include my original conceptual drawings. I still need an ironing cupboard you see, and the drapes need to be made, but I think it's a pretty incredible match - all things considered.

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!!

A Return to Domestic Bliss

No pictures today; just happy, sweet feelings. It has been literally months since I have actually enjoyed cleaning my house, or thrown my creativity into making a meal. Morning Sickness seems to have officially departed (although I admittedly slept for two hours in the middle of the morning today). The curse seems to have finally lifted. I am delighting in washing windows, dusting and vacuuming. I'm back to adapting recipes to make them even more scrumptious than the original. I am enjoying making after-school snacks for my little ones. And Anna and I are getting out for a daily errand (just to get out of the house and into some fresh air). Life is good. Life is wonderful. And I can't stop smiling. Yippee for the second trimester!

Sew Many Projects

Crazy things have been happening around my house lately. It's actually getting cleaner every day. I am turning into a cleaning/organizing/rearranging/crazy woman! I know the phase won't last long, so I am taking full advantage of it. I want to dump out every drawer, empty every closet, repaint every surface, and make every last thing beautiful. I love it when everything is fresh.

So here are a couple of my latest projects: Sean brought home a bookcase from work tonight that was ours, but on loan to work. I was planning on filling it with homeschool books. But . . . the sew-er (I hyphenated that word lest you think I meant sewer - like where the rats live (and Lex Luther)) in me said: "Wait a second! I have been longing for a sewing studio space, and here it is! Yippee!" So I cleaned out my overstuffed sewing drawer, emptied a box of some of my favorite fabric onto the shelves and . . . viola`! I have a studio - at least as close I will get to one in our present circumstances.

It is not much, but it makes me happy.

Another little project I made today was something I found in the book Vintage Style. It is actually made for clothespins for hanging wash on the line (is there anything more lovely?). I put all of Anna's little, tiny dolly clothes in it. She drug it around everywhere with her today. A success!

And last, but not least . . . in renegotiating the furniture to squeeze in the new bookcase/sewing studio (I know it is absurd to continually call it a studio, but I am exercising the power of positive thought), I brought in a small desk for the kids. It has cubbies and pencil holders fitted for the desk so it seemed like a perfect writing center for the munchkins.

I filled it with empty home-bound books, pencils, our new origami projects, and inspiration. Djeryd already has a million ideas to outfit it for some serious creative exploration.

To my utter delight, before Djeryd went to bed, he snuck a little "official" sign for his new desk. It says "Publisher". I am beaming.

A Space of One's Own

I am turning into a blogging junkie. Sometimes I just pull up my blog and leave it on my desktop. I have nothing to say; I just want to look at it. At first I thought I was just being vain (which is not much of a stretch for me), but then I realized what I love about seeing my blog. It is the one clean, organized space in my entire life. No matter how messy and chaotic my house or my life feels at the time, my blog is quiet and calm and full of beautiful things that I love and that I find interesting.

Maybe that is egocentric. I prefer to think of it as having a space of my own - a firm suggestion issued by Edith Wharton, if I'm not mistaken. Space that I can design and redesign at will. Space that I can lose myself in when I don't want to be found. Space that allows me to look at my life in a beautiful, orderly way. Space that reminds me about the most important people in my life - my husband and my children. Space that allows me to speak and then be heard, even if it is only by myself reading my own posting. Space that inspires me with pictures and books and quotes and stories that remind me of important moments and thoughts in my life. Space that refreshes me and brightens my perspective. Space that is all my own.