Of Late

I know I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would do a little catch up post. I have been thinking a lot, but I'm not ready to put it all out there, so you get the miscellaneous and abbreviated for now. Beware, it's all over the place!

~Brian's birthday was on Friday, and we celebrated with a couple we met up here. Just a relaxing evening grilling out and eating on the back porch. I made him cupcakes that morning, and Brian grilled steaks and salmon. He also was able to get a recliner! I'm pretty sure he's been admiring them since we got married, and every time we went into Sam's Club he would sit in a particular one. We went Father's day weekend and they had the chair on clearance so he was able to use birthday money to take the plunge. I have to say I like it too!

~We have a little garden planted (tomatoes and bell peppers), though the season here starts much later and we don't have anything we can eat yet. It has been fun to watch them grow, even if the chipmunks will probably benefit from them the most. I'll let you know if we ever get to eat anything.

~I babysat by myself for the first time a few weeks ago and it went remarkably well. I was really nervous because I wasn't sure how I would feel, but baby G was sweet to me. He is about seven months old and we played and played. I would be lying if I said I didn't think of Ethan, but it was nice to have a baby in my arms.

~We got this card in the mail. I'm not blaming Toysrus because obviously they don't realize Ethan isn't here. But it still stung a bit. I've come a long way over the past 14 months but sometimes it only takes a little thing to take you back and remind you what you are missing.

~I have started on a disappearing nine patch quilt based on this pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew and I love it so far! My sewing machine is on the fritz so it's kinda on hold for now, but I'll post a picture when I'm done. If you are new to quilting I think you would like this pattern because the resulting block looks more complicated than it is.

~One last thing that I just think is interesting. When we moved to New York I realized very quickly that air conditioning was a luxury in most places. Last summer was really mild and you really don't need it more than a forth of the year, so I don't think I realized how much I missed it.  This summer has made up for it with the heat and humidity. We are lucky to live in an apartment with air conditioning, as most of our friends don't have it. Our church however has no a/c or fans though so I make it my mission to get a seat next to the tiny windows. The funny thing is even sitting next to the windows I almost passed out this Sunday. Sometimes I forget how lucky we are to live in a country were having a/c is even a possibility.

So what have you been up to?

Questions SCC video

I'm sure most people have heard this song, particularly in the loss community, but it really resonates with me. The Chapman's experience was different, but so much of the album is universal. Thankfully we serve a God who's not threatened by our questions. Just thought I would share...

Recycling clothes: adult t-shirt to toddler dress

This one was a bit of a bear compared to the top. We started with a UGA shirt of mine that I don't really wear.  It was harder to be able to keep all the character since it was printed so close to the neckline. We also didn't really have anything to compare with of Reagan's size-wise, so Mom ended up taking it in once she tried it on. We did ruffles at the bottom again, and made a casing on the top with elastic in it. It was cut apart and taken in at the sides too.

The t-shirt

Taking in the sides, cutting arm holes, and opening up the old sleeves to make straps.

The finished product before we tried it on Reagan. You can't see them well, but there is a ruffle flower on it too.

Miss Priss with the dress on.

I have to say, my mom did most of the work on this one. She's a much better sewer than I am and has more patience!