Smellin' Like Summer

July 4, 2010 022, originally uploaded by RusticOkie.

I love the way summer smells around here. The sunscreen, freshly cut grass, barbeque grills and the fact that right now my entire house smells like fresh salsa. Yum.

The girls and I took an extended July 4th vacation and went to visit my grandparents. They loaded us up with as much fresh produce as the car would hold and there was no way we would be able to eat all the tomatoes so the hubby requested some fresh salsa. I'm not going to be making any to can this year since I didn't grow my own garden but we'll have plenty of fresh and there are still quite a few jars left from last year's harvest.

I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are. Of course we could deal with it being a little less hot every day but I guess that's what summer is all about. We're trying to spend the hot afternoons working on some projects inside to beat the heat. The good news from that is that I'll have plenty of cute projects to share with you while we're trying to keep from melting. Like this shirt that I made for Kinsley for "firecracker day". I think it turned out pretty great and even though I still waited until the day before I think it turned out much better than last year's outfit. Maybe I am getting better at this sewing thing. Afterall I haven't had the urge to throw the sewing machine out the window in a few months so that has to be a good thing right?

I broke out the crochet hooks this past week too and have some quick but cute projects to share this week. Hopefully this means I'll be back to regular blogging again. I've actually really missed it and now that we aren't quite as sleep deprived around here I have a few things to blog about.

One Month Ago...

June 8, 2010 022, originally uploaded by RusticOkie.

Yes I realize it's been more than just one month since my last blog post. By now no one should be surprised by this, we are all aware of the fact that I'm the world's worst blogger. I could blame it on a lot of things...a difficult pregnancy, chasing a toddler around, lack of ability to complete anything blog worthy or even my inabitlity to figure out how to get my photos on here (still not picture literate). However, I choose to blame it on this beautiful little girl.

I'd like to welcome to blog land the newest addition to our family miss Kaitlyn Leigh. After we had nearly given up and decided that I was simply going to be pregnant for the rest of my life she finally decided to join us on June 2, 2010 at 8:20pm. She weighed 7lbs and 15 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches at birth. This is her at a week old. Isn't she a doll? We are all thrilled to finally have her here with us. None of us are excited as her big sister though. It's quite a sight to see her giving hugs and kisses and she is the best helper a mom could ever ask for. I'm very blessed to have my two beautiful girls.

Where have all the posts gone?

How sad is it that I can't even post once a month? Hopefully though, that will change soon. Although the exhaustion of the third trimester has set in the nesting is beginning to take hold as well so I'm actually getting some things accomplished. Don't get too excited, I'm not actually working on the nursery. It's still a complete craft room disaster at this point, hopefully it will be done before this little one arrives. Right now I am completely consumed with sewing projects. It's become an addiction really. If I could I would just sew all day long right now. The good news is that means I have lots of stuff to photograph once this rain lets up and then I'll have lots to share with all of you in blog land.

But since I hate to post without any pictures we'll just have to make do with this picture of Kinsley from Easter. I knew you wouldn't mind.

Misplaced Mojo

I'm feeling decidedly uncrafty at the moment. It could have something to do with the fact that what was once my craft room is now overflowing with items for "Baby Brother/Sister" (name courtesy of Kinsley), boxes of junk for the yard sale this spring, and everything else we own that doesn't have a home. I seriously can't even get to my fabric at the moment without risking life and limb. Or it could be because this baby is beating me up from the inside and is apparantly making me look a bit like a beached whale according to random strangers. Someone actually said to me that I must be having twins because I was too big to just be having one baby. Gee, thanks so very much for that. Oh the joys of the third trimester.

However I think the real reason for my missing craft mojo is that I've been working quite a bit lately and any spare moment I have not allocated for sleeping is reserved for cuddling with this adorable thing...

I mean, how can you not want to snuggle her up? Especially when she looks at me with those big brown eyes and tells me "Mama, you don't need go to work. You stay home with me." Sigh. Heartbreak city. I have a list of crafting to-do projects at least a mile long but just can't tear myself away from playing long enough to actually complete any of them. Never fear though, she enjoys her crafty pursuits as much as her mama so eventually we are bound to complete something blog worthy.

Warm Winter Wishes

I don't know about anyone else but we are getting tired of the cold weather. The only good thing coming out of the cold weather is an excuse to make adorable little hats like this one. I've seen this style of hat made tons of times with fleece but it never occured to me to make one in crochet until I saw an awesome one over at A Beautiful Mess. I immediately picked up a hook and got to work while Kinsley was napping. I just love it. Although I must say this was my first attempt at ever making a pom pom and I'm not sure I care for it.

Sometimes we just need to nap.

Whew. It seems like just yesterday that I reintroduced myself to the world of blogging and yet, it was weeks ago. These past weeks, just like this new year, have been full of changes for our family. Some we have welcomed with open arms and some we have tried to keep away. Nevertheless we are now embracing the new direction our lives have taken and trying to adjust accordingly. You’ll notice I said trying. There has certainly been a bit of a learning curve involved. I think I perhaps am making the largest number of changes both internally and externally, which would account for the lack of posting here.

Internally I am trying very hard to pull myself out of this funk I have fallen into. I have been dreading and avoiding some of the changes that I knew were coming our way and sideswiped by some others that were more unexpected. I would like to say that I am finally on the upswing though. I am changing my thinking and way of viewing things and it is making a tremendous difference. I have had a hard time seeing our blessings through the fog but thankfully it is beginning to lift.

I haven’t been photographing much lately either. Truthfully, I’m not even sure where my camera is. To be honest the blessings I am thankful for I haven’t wanted to share with anyone. The quiet moments of snuggling on the couch under a blanket watching cartoons in the mornings before anyone else is awake, the hugs, kisses and funny little moments have been my security blanket and I didn’t want to lose one precious moment by letting anyone else in. Watching my ever expanding belly bounce around to the rhythmic motion of the baby’s hiccups was mine alone.

Externally we have been just as busy, but it has been good. We are clearing out rooms and belongings making room for our new addition and room for ourselves to grow. I have been boxing up and clearing out some of the “stuff” that has taken over our house. This has slowed the crafting as well. The craft room is in the process of being sorted through, boxed up and moved around in order to become the new nursery. It’s a very slow process. I hadn’t realized how much stuff I had crammed into that room. But on the plus side realizing that I have to fit an entire room of craft supplies onto one bookshelf it inspiring some new and beautiful craft projects that will be completed just as soon as I can locate everything I need for them.

Another big change is that I am working again. It’s only a couple days a week but its definitely taking some adapting for all of us to adjust. (And maybe a few tears) We are all trying to come to terms with Mama not being home at all times to tend to everyone’s needs. I’m really reevaluating my time management skills in order to fit in time to get everything done and still sleep. Not that I’m complaining, I am beyond thankfully to have found a job that is willing to let me choose not only my own hours, but the days that I work them. We are truly blessed to have this opportunity. The hubby however is still job hunting so please keep us in your prayers for that.

There have been other big changes on the sleeping front. Meet Kinsley Alice, big girl extraordinaire who now sleeps in her very own big girl bed. While visiting family recently we made a trek to IKEA to check out their selection of cribs and stumbled across their toddler beds. Kinsley was instantly in love and so when we arrived home we made the dreaded switch from the crib to the big girl bed. We probably could have made the switch some time ago but we really didn’t want to risk losing our good night’s sleep. We would put her to bed and she would be there until morning, no questions asked. She never tried to climb out and we were all happy. Not nearly as happy as we are with the big girl bed though. She is so proud of herself and sleeps just as well as she ever has. We’re pretty proud too. And she is pretending to sleep in this picture, not actually sleeping. Although she is just as cute when she's asleep.

These are just some of the changes going on here at our house. There are many more ahead and its going to be a fun ride, so pull up a chair and enjoy.

So nice to meet you again...

As I sat down today prepared to enjoy the peace and quiet and intending to reacquaint myself with blogging I realized that I actually missed the noise and chaos that typically consumes our day. I don’t hear the sound of ballerina shoes clicking on the hardwood floors or heavy work boots stomping down the hallway. Even the world outside seems quieter, only the sound of soft raindrops against the window.

Everyone is off in their own direction today but here I sit contemplating not only the directions we are going in but also where we are coming from. A new year has begun and although it seems hard to believe at the moment I can just feel the newness resonating within it. Our little family has had so many small adventures in this past year and I can assure you that this is only the beginning. Many exciting (and slightly scary) changes are in store for us in the coming year. I hope you hang on for the ride, it’s sure to be a good one.