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.