Busy Hands

If anyone is curious about what I've been up to for the last several months or so, besides giving birth and keeping my children happy and healthy, here are some of the projects I've been working on:



I actually started this cross stitch project before Sean was born, thinking I would make it for a friend. But then, as the months passed, I realized it was going to take a very long time to finish. Then I found out I was pregnant, and finished it in time for little Sean. Perfect! I started another counted cross stitch for a gift, but it will also take a while to finish. My cross stitching time is very limited.

Because I did a cross stitch and made a quilt for Leah, I felt it was only fair to also make him a quilt. My friend Sheri is an amazing quilter and helped me figure out a pattern I liked then designed it for me. It was a very good learning experience and I finished sewing it the night before Sean was born. So here’s the result:




Close up of the square patterns.

I backed Leah’s quilt with flannel, but now that we’re living in Texas I didn’t feel the need to use flannel.

Then, today, I made a new pillowcase for my body pillow. It was super quick, to my surprise. Both my children cooperated so I could whip it out. I also added more stuffing to the pillow since IKEA is stingy with their stuffing. Now I have a nice, fluffy pillow with a pretty case instead of a flat, lumpy pillow with a nasty lime green case. Such a nice change.



Today I am feeling so very grateful for my amazing sewing machine and my sweet husband who gave it to me for Mother’s Day.

Cute Excuses

I would say, "Whoops, I missed a couple months," but this little face is totally worth it.


One evening, after Leah was in bed, I was snuggling the little man and told Brad I wanted a picture because there weren't very many of me and Sean. Brad did point out that I tended to be nursing Sean whenever the camera came out, hence few pictures with me. So this was a rare moment of me being prepared, if tired and worn out, for a picture. Sean smiled at the perfect moment. He's such a good snuggler.

Leah is absolutely in love with her little brother. We heard a lot of warnings about jealousy, but Leah just loves her brother. She will talk to him, make him smile, and give him (often overwhelming) cuddles and kisses. She only gets frustrated when we limit her contact with him. Sean is patient and sweet in return. I know I have been blessed with two very sweet children.

On the news front, Leah is currently recovering from a double ear infection. Friday afternoon she woke up with a fever of 103 so I immediately called the doctor. While waiting for them to call back, we drove over to pick up Brad from work and Leah started vomiting. I dropped off Brad and Sean, and then Leah and I headed to the ER where they confirmed both ears were infected and prescribed medicine. We were there for over 2 hours and for the first hour waited in the internal waiting room by ourselves and the tv playing "Hoarders." Leah was content to lay sprawled across my chest and let me rub her back - a sure sign of illness. The girl is affectionate, but rarely cuddles for any length of time. She was a very good girl during our trip, and, I have to say, I feel very good about my housekeeping and storage abilities after watching an hour of "Hoarders."

So, that was a rough start to our weekend. Then I woke up on Saturday under the weather, so we all stayed home from church on Sunday. The thing about our apartment - we have crummy cell phone reception. So when Brad walked upstairs to get something he found he had several missed calls and voicemails. As did my phone upstairs. Turns out our bishop was frantically trying to reach us and finally left a message saying he was releasing me as 1st counselor in the Primary. He felt bad he had to do it over the phone, but I was fine with it. There was no way I was going to church that day, so it had to be done. Poor man sounded a little frazzled. And apparently we have a new primary, but I haven't a clue who's in it because my old primary president hasn't called me back. Just a little (lot) curious.

The counselor I talked to told me to take a week off so I have a feeling they already have another calling waiting for me. Brad and I are hoping that we will be able to go to Sunday school together at least once. That would be a nice change! I have loved serving the children in Primary, with all the struggles (pretty much only with adults) that come with the calling. We'll see if I keep serving in the Primary or where the Lord sends me next.

To finish, here's a couple more pictures of my excuses for not posting sooner: