:: Yarn Along ::

On the needles :: I didn't get as much knitting (or reading) time this week...last week must have been a fluke but I have been working on #5's vest. I should be able to finish up the ball of yarn in the next few days. I must also work away at Mr. Wiedz's sweater as I promised  myself no trips to the yarn store until I needed more yarn for that project.

On the nightstand :: I read a free kindle version of The Perfect Blend, I did not think too highly of it, glad I didn't purchase it but it was short and I wanted to know enough about what happen to finish it. I figured out how to download books from the library to my kindle but the options are pretty limited, I did find A Brief History of Montmaray and so far it is pretty good. AND I found a great thing at the library when I took the kids last week...an adult shelf right next to the check out counter! The one thing that is most difficult about our library is even though it has a beautiful children's section the adult section is upstairs and far away from that children's section. In order for me to check out books I have to haul everyone up there and put up with the stares of the patrons up there who think I'm nuts for having this many children and/or bringing them to the library. I know I can request books but if requested books aren't picked up by a certain date then the library charges a fee and I've experienced requested books being available all sorts of days other than the ones I'm there so that makes for extra trips to the library...not as convenient as it sounds. So from this shelf I found two books to check out...haven't even taken them out of the basket so have no idea if I scored or not.

Project :: The Tale of Two Quilts

I'm sure this post could be a "tale" but I'm not feeling particularly wordy today. But I did want to document and share my baby quilt for #6 and as with all things #6 it includes a story.

You may remember my dilemma with not finding out the gender of #6 when it came to hand-knits and coming home outfits. I had the same problem with the quilt.

I have waited through four boy's baby quilts to make a girly quilt. Sweet pink, pastels, flowers...oh I wanted to make a baby girl quilt. So when I decided not to find out the gender of #6 a gender-neutral quilt wasn't really an option. I wanted pink! Flowers! Pretty!

But I couldn't really come to the hospital and only have a girl quilt. No matter how much I was hoping and figuring and willing #6 to be a girl I wouldn't want to not have a quilt for the baby had it been a boy. 

So just like that meant two sweaters. And two coming home outfits. That meant two quilts.

 

I started the boy one first (deciding on fabric and making first cuts in November) but while waiting for the right backing fabric I finished the girl one.

I loved it. The fabric (for both) was from some pre-cut square bundles my mom gave me for Christmas years ago. I just laid the squares out in a somewhat pleasing way and sashed them with pink. Mom's gift even came with some yardage that was used for the border and I was able to find the same line online to order the backing. I hand quilt my baby quilts so I did a simple in the ditch around the squares and once around the last border. It's not my best quilting and binding sewing. I see a lot of ripples but it is already well loved and in the years that follow I won't even notice or care.

I found the right blue for the backing and binding of the boy quilt and got to work quilting in the last couple weeks before #6 was due. I was on track to finish. Once around the border with hand quilting, once around machine sewing the binding, and once around hand sewing the binding to the back.

But the stomach bug hit.

And I went to the hospital to deliver #6 with only a baby girl quilt packed. But I only needed a baby girl quilt!

I finished the boy quilt a month or so after #6 was born. I needed it off my shelf but didn't want to put it into the unfinished projects tub to languish in almost done state!

Of course I've heard all the jokes about saving it for the next one. Ha! Ha! I have nearly daily conversations with the Lord, thanking Him for the blessings He has blessed us with. Marveling at Him for deeming us worthy of these little people but asking Him to bless the next girl next time. And because I know not everyone believes that the Lord is completely in control of that sort of thing we have also taken the precautions we deem right for us. We would like to enjoy the children we have. We are ready to move on and have big kids and enjoy the next stage.

And as it happens a great friend of Mr. Wiedz found out his wife is expecting while I was pregnant with #6 and right after I had #6 they found out they are expecting a boy! So now the "extra" quilt has a baby cooking and waiting for it.

3 Months

 

 I thought it would be fun to hear what #6's siblings thought of her in these monthly posts...you already know how I gush about her and there are only so many ways I can tell you she is awesome. I thought you'd like to hear it from someone else...

First up is #1's reasons for loving #6:

• She is my only sister.
• I can always make her laugh.
• She's tiny and cute.
• I know I can always help her out.

Rowing :: Clown of God

The Clown of God was such a great book. I was really surprised when we got to the end the first time but the boys and I enjoyed the book and our week of activities with it.

Seatwork ::

We did quite a few printables and mini books for this row, I just didn't take pictures of any of it. We did a map and a flag for Italy of course and learned some Italian words. I even played Italian music on Pandora during center time.

Fun & Extra ::

 I love this picture, it is so him.

Face painting to look like clowns. Giovanni paints his face for each performance so we got out our face paints and made ourselves look like clowns. The boys thought this was great :: I'm not really great about getting out this messy activity. They added their own costumes throughout the day and stayed dressed up for the rest of the afternoon.

We also made stained glass cookies (not the same link I used but similar approach and type of cookie) which turned out tasting pretty good but didn't look as pretty as I thought. I think we needed more life savers and perhaps not as finely smashed but everyone liked them. 

You can see I ran out of week and did face painting and cookie baking on the same day...I blame end of pregnancy tiredness on not getting it done earlier that week but mommy-guilt of wanting them to have these experiences so let's do it all when mommy has any amount of energy. Something must be working, as I started this post #3 saw the cover of the book at the top and said, "Oh! I remember that book." That's the point, right?

We rowed this book February 27-March 2, 2012

Links ::

Homeschool Share :: printables and ideas (when I went to get the link I saw that the site is set up differently, I'm sure there are a lot of the same/wonderful printables in the link but it's not the same way I found it when I was doing my planning/printing.)

:: Yarn Along ::

Joining Ginny again this week to talk knitting and reading, something I've managed to get in a lot of lately!

On the needles :: I got half of the front done on #6's sweater and got the second half started. I'm hung up on button and button-hole placement. The pattern is written to place safety pins on the button side (the side I already finished) where the buttons should go then figure out the button holes from there. I'm used to patterns being written the other way (and like it better), the pattern dictating what rows to put buttonholes in then placing the buttons afterwards. Needless to say, I'm a little stalled trying to figure out my plan for this one.

I'm chugging right along with my Multnomah. I didn't pick it up this week but I'm almost half-way with the garter stitch, I really like it so far! On a camping trip last week I stopped at a yarn store in the town we were near and found the fun stitch markers. I've never had proper stitch markers and I love these! 

I started on another project :: I really shouldn't have. I'm using the same yarn as Mr. Wiedz's sweater and I love this yarn so I've worked mostly on this vest for #5. I'm half done...hoping to cast on the front after writing this post!

On the nightstand :: I sped through The Hunger Games Trilogy (books 2 & 3 on kindle)...that's probably why I haven't posted Yarn Alongs lately...too busy reading. I got to our Memorial Day camping trip and realized I hadn't packed a book so got on Amazon and found a kindle book to download to my phone. I read The Lucky One while camping, finishing just as we pulled off the freeway into our hometown the last day. I've looked around here and there for a new book to start, I've come close to buying some kindle books my mom has reccomended but at $14.99 they're to rich for my blood. I found a Micheal Crition novel, Pirate Latitudes, on Mr. Wiedz's nightstand last night as I sat in bed to nurse #6 and so far it's good. Not my normal kind of book but I'm enjoying it. Plus I'm reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to the kids during quiet time/down time in the afternoon.