Archive for the ‘sewing’ Category
Our kids absolutely adore clementines. They’re kind of expensive (about $6.99 in most of our grocery stores), but they’re well worth it. I seriously think that Meredith would eat them all day long if we’d let her. And they’re great for kids because they’re so easy to peel and don’t have seeds (well, most of them, anyway). Clementine crates are also really pretty! A while back, Martha Stewart explained how to create a gift planter by using a leftover clementine box. I’ve been wanting to do that (just put it on my “someday when I have some free time” list!). (We are actually using a bunch of old clementine crates as storage bins in our master bathroom! I’d love to sew pretty liners for them ~ another item for the list!) Anyway, just a while ago I looked up some clementine recipes. This cake by Nigella Lawson looks super yummy! These Christmas clementine squares also look fantastic. Hmm, maybe I can find a good clementine recipe to make for my next moms’ group meeting ~ or maybe I’ll just sit out a plate of clementines with some yummy fruit dip! Here are some more uses for clementine crates, in case you’re interested:
Meredith climbed out of her crib this morning. I don’t know whether to be excited for her or sad ~ probably a little bit of both! Looks like it’s time for her to make the transition to her toddler bed. This should be interesting! Lucas climbed out of his crib at almost exactly the same age, and when he did, he also stopped taking naps. Ugh. :( I’m looking forward to taking apart our crib and storing it someplace, though, so that we’ll have more room in Meredith’s bedroom. We can make it more of a big-girl room now, too. Gosh, we’ve had a crib in our house since February 2005! I so vividly remember being 30-some weeks pregnant with Lucas and looking inside his newly set-up crib, thinking, “Oh my gosh … this is where our *son* is going to sleep!” And now, we’re taking it down. This is a milestone!
In other news, yesterday morning I accidentally sewed over my left index finger with our sewing machine. Ouch. Well, it actually didn’t hurt much at all right when it happened; it just took me aback. But then, it started hurting like heck. I walked over to our neighbor’s house ~ she is a retired nurse ~ so that she could take a look at it. The needle went through my fingernail and almost completely out the back of my finger. I had been making a Christmas present and was sewing in reverse in order to close a corner, and my finger just got in the way. Our neighbor said to put ice on it throughout the day and keep that hand relaxed. I called the doctor’s office this morning to see whether I’d need a tetanus shot, but thankfully I got that shot back in October 2007. My mom tells me that sewing body parts is hereditary … she also did the same thing when she was a teenager! LOL! :) I’m glad that the needle didn’t break inside my finger. And of course, I tried to milk my injury for all it was worth. After all, it takes *two* hands to change a diaper, right? :)
And finally, a melting-mommy moment from last night. I laid down with Lucas to snuggle with him a little bit before he went to sleep. Suddenly, he leaned over to me and said, “You’re, like, kind of neat.” I just wanted to scoop him up, give him a great big hug, and never let go! It was *so* incredibly sweet. Then, I said, “I love being your mommy.” And he replied, “I love being your Lucas!”
P.S. Today marks exactly 12 years since my husband and I went out on our very first date! November 17, 1996. We went to dinner at Puccini’s in Bloomington, IN, and then watched “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” (The love song from that movie was our first-dance song as husband and wife at our wedding.) Hmm … it might be worth a grocery store trip today in order to recreate the meal we had that night ~ penne a la vodka!
I totally forgot to include a few more Meri-isms. Bad mommy! :( She can also say the word “Please,” and she does this cute thing with her finger. She’ll stick out her index finger, wanting me to touch my index finger to hers. And then she’ll push on my finger and giggle. She gets the biggest kick out of that! She also loves to wave ~ at everyone and everything! She definitely has her “parade float wave” down pat. :) She can now sit on the stools at our kitchen island all by herself. She *adores* books and is always bringing us books to read to her. And she already seems to be showing signs of acting “two” ~ mainly speeding away (either on foot or via tricycle) in order to avoid diaper changes! *sigh*
OK … on to more questions and answers. This time, they’re courtesy of Girl from Florida:
1. What’s your favorite childhood outfit you remember? My mom is *fantastic* at sewing, and she made pretty much all of my clothes when I was a little girl. Isn’t that cool? I wish that I could do the same for Luke and Meri. She recently told me that she saved some of that fabric and intends to do something special with it someday. I remember my mom making me such a pretty black velvet and dark-blue shimmery dress for a winter formal when I was in high school. I also remember her making me a pretty orange/coral-colored, long skirt with white lace underneath (supposed to look like a petticoat ~ I think that it had a French toile print, not sure). I wore it a *lot* in high school (back then, I preferred dressing up to wearing jeans). Oh, when I was in elementary school/junior high, I just *had* to have brand-name clothing. I remember wearing Tretorns (oh, how I *loved* those!). Gosh, maybe I should buy myself a pair for old time’s sake? :) In fifth grade, it was Pasta sweaters and Coca-Cola clothing. I also had this William & Mary sweatshirt that I wore constantly.
2. Which children’s shows do you dread watching? I really can’t stand Barney. I’ve only seen one episode, and I do *not* want our kids to get hooked on it! Too annoying. I’d probably rather watch our commercial real estate TV channel than that! LOL! :) They’ve never seen Barney, and I don’t plan to introduce it. I also think that “Yo Gabba Gabba” is one of the weirdest kids’ cartoons on TV right now. The show jumps back and forth so much that I just can’t keep track (and researchers wonder why some children have such short attention spans?). I’ve seen a few episodes of the Teletubbies, too, and they’re pretty strange. And we’re trying to avoid the whole SpongeBob SquarePants thing (just our personal preference ~ we don’t like what that show seems to teach kids sometimes). Other than that, I actually enjoy all of the shows that our kids like to watch (”Little Einsteins,” “Blue’s Clues,” “Dora the Explorer,” “The Wonder Pets,” “Thomas,” etc.). One thing that I would *really* love to be able to do, however, is watch “Good Morning America” just *one* morning instead of cartoons! I miss that. :(
3. What song brings back the most memories for you? I think that it’s impossible to pick just one! I’ll never forget the very last song that was played at my senior prom, though: “Brown-Eyed Girl.” It was just perfect. Let’s see … when I hear Pink Floyd songs, I think of my high school sweetheart, Craig. When I hear “Here I Am” by Lyle Lovett, I think about a good college friend. There’s “I Finally Found Someone,” which is the song that Jeff and I danced to as husband and wife at our wedding. “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Could I Have This Dance?” remind me of my grandparents. “Aux Champs Elysees” reminds me of my high school French class. :) I’m such a fan of ’80s music … it totally brings back my childhood! Ah, I remember sitting as close to the TV as I possibly could, watching VH1 and recording the music with my “ghetto blaster” so that I could play the songs over and over again and make a mix tape! :)
