"B" is for...

Baby Boy Benjamin

He has at last arrived! We are actually still in the hospital and are doing well (hopefully we'll be able to go home tomorrow!). The induction went beautifully on Monday/Tuesday and Ben was born yesterday at 3:36 pm, weighing in at 8 lb 8 oz and 22.5" tall. It's been a very peaceful 24 hours and we're feeling very lucky to be the parents of this amazing little boy :)

Overalls and Invisible Zippers

Still no baby yet... tick-tock...

I've been anxious for fall to come so I could start making embellished overalls for Sydney and her friends and I'm smitten! So fun and generally easy - here's a pair that I finished up yesterday morning (for Syd's friend, Amelia - her mom absolutely loves the lime star paisley print, so this set was an easy one for me to pick fabrics for):




The next pair will be for Sydney (I found a practically new pair of Osh 'Gosh overalls yesterday at the second -hand store for $1.50!), using these fabrics from Heather Ross: (I can't get enough of these little fish!).

Don't know if I've mentioned this before, but a friend of mine up here, Michelle, is also pregnant (due today!) and we have a strange feeling that we'll be in labor the same time next week...

Anyways, I started working on a few things for her last night - one of which is a boppy cover. I've made them before using a velcro closure, but wanted to try and use an invisible zipper. I've never put one in before, but I picked up one of those handy little plastic COATS Invisible Zipper Foot kits at Joanne's a while back in case I ever got inspired.

Well, I sat there for a while, staring at this package... hoping that the scant directions they give would process somehow in my brain. No luck. I headed to the computer with fingers crossed, hoping that some nice crafter would have a lovely tutorial for me to learn from. I was in luck, and found THIS TUTORIAL on the blog: Sew? I Knit! Again, thank you, thank you, thank you Cyndi! I've now added this tutorial to my sidebar :)

I used the kit to insert the zipper for one cover, using this print:

But for the next one (I made a new one for our Baby as well - Sydney LOVES to carry the bolt of this fabric (which calls "oofs"):

around the house, so I figured she might also like to "help" carry the pillow when Baby comes), I tried using my regular zipper foot and it worked perfectly. Luck? Who knows.... but at least I know how to use the darned kit now!

PS: Isn't this Swedish duvet & sham set from Pottery Barn adorable?!

Off to start the day - have a great weekend everyone! ~ Kris

"The Word"

I'm currently reading a delightful new book by Elizabeth Gilbert, titled "EAT PRAY LOVE".

You've probably heard of it, as it's been on the New York Times Bestseller list for a bit, and I think she's been on Oprah by now as well. It was a last minute purchase - we were in a book store recently and I just picked it up and bought it, remembering that I had heard some positive chatter about it somewhere.... The writing is fresh and descriptive and just what I need right now. The book is divided into 3 sections (3 different areas of the world that she travels in: Italy, India and Indonesia). I haven't been to the later 2, but was lucky enough to spend 2 glorious weeks in Italy with hubby a couple of years ago.

Oh how I've loved the Italy chapter... her descriptions of Rome, Lucca, Venice, Naples... the people, the food (oh, the food!), the history... Calgon, take me away!

At the close of the Italy chapter, she has a discussion about "the word" of a city - as she put it "if you could read people's thoughts as they were passing you on the streets of any given place, you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought".

Interesting concept.

I won't spoil it for you and tell you the word of Rome :) She goes on to discuss "the word" for different times of her life, and for herself.

Hmmm... what would your word be? Is it really possible to sum yourself up in one word? I've been thinking about this one for a few days now and am still struggling to pick just one. The closest that I can come to is:

FOCUSED

Not the most profound of words, but definitely one that describes me in every stage of my life, and in all that I do day-to-day. It's got some good and bad to it, but it has kept me grounded and generally successful with life's ups and downs.

To completely change the topic now... today is the due date for Baby V and he has decided that he's not quite ready to meet the world. We scheduled an induction for next Monday, but hopefully the membrane stripping that the doc did today will stimulate labor before any drugs need to be introduced. I'm hoping the next time I write I'll be the happy mom of 2 :) Until then, I'm focusing on a healthy and safe delivery...

Pickle Toes and Eggplant....um...

We're down to the last few days before baby is due...I'm ~ 60% effaced and 1.5 cm dilated, so it could be any day now! I've been swelling up a ton at night and actually have to get up from sewing to put my feet up. Love those pickle toes... not really :)

As for the eggplant.... check out this picture:

I found this gem while cleaning out some files in our cabinet (still working on the room re-dos upstairs - we're almost done!). I SWEAR that I didn't use any kind of Photoshop magic on this guy! The picture is from ~ 2002, during our stint living in Boston. The local grocery store had amazing produce, so I often bought the sale stuff that's at the back of the store - you know, the produce that has minor defects that is wrapped in cellophane on those little trays. The package I picked up had 2 normal looking eggplants in it. I just about peed myself when I opened up the package later at home. It's like one of those funny veggies from the FOOD ART book. Cracks me up every time I look at it :)

As for updates around here, I've been working on stocking up my wholesalers:

(some wetbags for Erin at Diaper Daisy)


and getting some gifts done (there's always birthdays and other little celebrations going on). Here's some outfits for Anna's 3rd birthday (excuse the poor pics - my camera croaked and the one I'm using can be weird with lighting).

I finished up another skirt for Raina - I've got to make some of these for myself once this baby is out!

Haven't had a ton of sewing time lately b/c nap-time has been devoted to the upstairs rooms. Our room is completely done except for washing windows, hanging wood blinds and getting some curtains up. Hopefully the first 2 will get done this weekend - I'm not in any big rush to do the curtains. The middle room (guest room / office / craft room) needs some little things done as well, but the main goal this w/e is getting the bed set-up so I can sleep there with the little guy when he comes (to avoid waking up hubby the first weeks when we're still getting the night nursing down).

Construction started a week or so ago and so far it's been going well - long-story-short, the back room of our house wasn't built correctly so we need to have a frost wall built and a zillion other things to keep it from pulling further away from the house.
That Jenga-looking thing in the middle of the picture is actually holding up the room (with a similar looking structure on the other side of the room). I'm in awe of this project... and the guys are so considerate. They actually ask when Syd will be napping so they can make noise when she's awake.

And here's a belly update (a pic from last week, but you get the jist) :)
I'm off to tend to Sydney - she has her first cold (at 19 months old, that's not so bad!) and is having a tough time getting to sleep. Poor kiddo. Hope everyone's doing well! ~ Kris

SALE NEWS!

Mornin' everyone! We're just a few weeks away from Baby #2 arriving - exciting! We're also starting construction Monday AM on our back room, deck, front porch, and attic... should be an interesting couple of months :)

I'm clearing out my fabric stash a bit in preparation of (1) less time and (2) less free space, and posted a slew of Amy Butler Nigella fabric in my EBAY store last night for $5.99 per half yard (SALE price - one week only). I'm hoping to add some of the regular quilt-weight fabric this week as well (and maybe some fun Japanese prints as well!).

Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend! Fall is here and we're loving the crisp days and full sunshine (helps to get the paint dried faster!). ~ Kris

Whatever floats your.... belly?

I hadn't heard of this one before, but after going through such a long labor with Sydney, I'm game to try ANYTHING that might help me out. She wasn't a big baby (only 6 lb 12 oz), but she was what the docs call "OP" (occiput posterior), or in English, she was facing the wrong way, I had back labor, and she just didn't want to come out. The new thing that the docs and midwives are encouraging is to have moms-to-be lay in inner tubes ~ 20 minutes per day to encourage the baby to settle in the correct position. They are also using them at the hospital for women who present OP at the time of delivery, and they say that they've been able to avoid some c-sections because of it. Pretty neat! I feel like a bit of a freak while I'm floating on the bed / floor, but at least I'm getting caught up on some magazines!

I wish that I could report in on some fabulous crafting creations, but to be honest, I haven't had the time lately to do much aside from orders. I'm finishing up the last of my customs before I take Oct. off... then I'll hopefully get to have some fun and start decorating the rooms that hubby and I have been so hard at work on lately (new hardwoods were put in about a week ago so we have been painting and re-trimming the entire upstairs... this is WAY beyond "nesting").

Hope everyone had a great weekend! :) Kris

A *Gnu* product for you to try!

I'm a HUGE fan of fiber - and these bars are FABULOUS! Here's some product info:

• One bar deliciously provides almost 50% of the Daily Value of Fiber
• Smile. Gnu Bars promote natural regularity and digestive health, gently and effectively
• Fiber helps lower cholesterol which is good for your heart
• Fiber absorbs and helps eliminate toxins from your body
• Fiber-rich foods aid in weight loss by making you feel fuller longer
• Low Fat with only 130 -140 calories

My sister-in-law, Lin, found these recently and gave me one when I saw her last - I was a little skeptical at first b/c I find most bars to be nasty, but this one is different! I can't vow for the other flavors, but the Cinnamon Raisin Bar is pretty yummy and is the perfect snack-size / keep-in-your-bag-for-emergency-hunger-size.

They are having a sale (15% off) through their website until Sept. 9. I've searched high and low for stores that carry them, but haven't been successful - their web store is the way to go :)

KIDPOOP Feature!

Hi everyone! Just got word that we're being featured on KIDPOOP this week! It's a great site for info. on kid's goodies and has lots of links with discounts / coupons. Click here to see Monkey Foot Designs listing (and to access a 10% off link thru 9/30/07!).

There's a spot for visitors to leave feedback and leave a star rating (just put your cursor over the star rating that you'd like to leave, click, and then your rating is entered!) - if you've got a free minute or so, please let them know your thoughts - I'd really appreciate it! :) TIA!

It's HOT!!!

Syd and I spent the day at Wolfeboro visiting "Da-da" while he's there for work - it's HOT HOT HOT! out there - 91?! What happened to the 70 degree days we had earlier this week? How I wished I had brought our bathing suits... Hindsight...

While the visit was somewhat short (we had to leave on account of the heat and Syd's crankiness), it was fun. We visited their local book store (where we bought the Skippyjon Jones doll the last time we were there) and as soon as we got to the kid's section Syd started repetitively screaming "Codi-o-dio". You see, we have a dog named Cody and Sydney absolutely adores him - and I think that he, unlike our yellow lab(Higgins), is quite fond of her as well.

Sitting on the shelf was an adorable little deer friend (that resembles Cody an awful lot!) from the book: Stranger in the Woods (a book with fantastic nature photography and a cute storyline to boot). We couldn't get Syd to leave the store without buying it (we're so weak...) so now she has a portable "bubba" (our nickname for the dogs). The funny thing is that Cody has been carrying it around the house since we came home - he never likes stuffed animals!

On the project front, I finished up some UFO's last night for Syd - I needed a break from sewing belts and these called to me.

I had bought the fabric for the 2 pair on the right a while back from Hancock's of Paducah when they had one of their big sales (I think 1/2 yard was $2 or something crazy like that). I was planning on making her a patchwork skirt with the different prints, but opted for pants b/c I'm really loving her in pants these days - she's into everything and somehow I feel like her legs are better protected. That, and well, they're so darned cute!

Ah! Before I hop off, I have to share my favorite salad recipe of all time - it's a salad that garners the "Wow! That's quite a salad honey!" from my husband. In his language that means "Yikes! Please don't ever try to serve that to me!" - only b/c he finds the pairings to be odd.... you be the judge:

Spinach and Friends Salad
(dole out the ingredients as you see fit)

Baby Spinach
Crumbled Goat Cheese
Sliced Almonds
Craisins
Hard-boiled eggs
Granny Smith Apple
Newman's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette

New critters

Don't these new fabrics from Alexander Henry make you smile? :)

Livin' Large

Yep, that's me... feeling quite large these days and just starting the third trimester slow-down that I've been dreading. We've got about 6 weeks to go! We're not really sure if Sydney "gets it" or not - she turned 18 months today, so you never know... She sure does love to show me her belly though! She's in the emulation stage right now, so I feel like I've got a Mini-Me running around. I wonder if I talk to and touch the baby too much? :)

It's been pretty busy around here with house projects and trying to squeeze some fun out of the last days of summer. I love fall, but am really going to miss the relaxing mornings at the lake!

I haven't started the bedding/home sewing projects that I mentioned in my last post b/c I'm finishing up some custom orders and other odds and ends, like these fun pouches (I finally made something with the cute birdie fabric!),

and a wholesale belt/headband order for Gina at JODS (an online equestrian gear store). She's in the NY area, so look for her goodies at local horse shows!

I've also started the grand freezer-stock-up (stuffed shells, lasagna, etc.) in preparation of Baby V, and have been playing around with some neat *treats* recipes, like this one that I brought to playgroup the other day:

Blueberry Thingys (makes 4)

1 tube of crescent rolls (makes 8 crescents)
4oz. cream cheese (half of a rectangular package)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup blueberries

- Preheat oven to 375
- mix cream cheese and sugar in a mixer
- Unroll the crescent rolls into 4 rectangles (there will be a perferation between the triangles) - use your finger to press along the perferation to join the 2 triangles
- spread the cream cheese/sugar mixture onto the rectangles (leaving a 1/2" border of pastry)
- pile on some blueberries
- bring the opposite corners of the rectangle together and squeeze the dough to join in the middle
- Bake 11-13 minutes or until golden brown on an UNGREASED cookie sheet

(might be good too if you sprinkled a little sugar on top of it before you put it in the oven)


Of course I didn't think to bring a bib for Sydney... (I swear that mommy-brain is a real disease!)

The shirt actually looked twice as bad as this picture... can you believe that Spray and Wash and a soak in Oxyclean actually got it all out?! I was shocked!

Some other random goodies: COOL MOM PICS has released their 2007 Back to School Shopping Guide and it's chock-full of neat sites and coupons/discount links. Monkey Foot Designs is mentioned about 3/4 the way down the page and there's a link for 15% off your order thru the end of September - I just received several new children's (fairies, kitties and camo!) and adult ribbons and will add them to the site within the next couple of days. Here's a pic of MFD's new DaVinci belt - this ribbon is gorgeous!

I hope everyone's doing well! I'd love to hear what projects you're up to :)

Feathering Our Nest

It's crunch time now - need to decide on a paint color for our bedroom now that we've moved everything from the room into our spare bedroom. We'll be set to paint this week (I'm hoping to get most if it done during Syd's naptime)... and I think that I've decided on a simple off-white (which we actually have 5 extra gallons of from when we did the kitchen last year - love saving $!). I've been itching to paint the room chocolate brown (how cozy!) but it won't work with the Nigella prints that I ordered. Is it pathetic to base one's room color on one's current fabric obsession?

Anyways, I think it'll go well with what I've chosen for our bedding:

I'm going to use this pattern for the quilted coverlet (and maybe some pillow shams):

The center panel:


The borders:

And I'm hoping to add some more color (and fun!) to the room with some simple curtain accents and this pattern:

In these prints (and maybe some others...):

The other 2 rooms that need some sprucing up are the guest room/office and the den. The den is easy - we have it painted a color that I LOVE (Weathersfield Moss by Benjamin Moore) and we'll get some nice wooden blinds for the window treatments. I'll make a bunch of fun pillows with some more of the AB Nigella fabrics - the goal is a comfy and welcoming room.

The guest room is going to be a little more difficult, b/c I'd like to use:

But... those colors are all too girly for my hubby.... so, I might get to use this instead (the room is painted the color of the green in the flowers):

And will need to figure out what coordinates with it. I really do love the pink/green fabrics... I'll keep working on him :)