Sewing Project #2....Check!

I'm done! I decided for my second sewing project that I would make myself a scripture bag. There is just too much stuff in my diaper bag already and my purse won't fit my scriptures. So, after finding an AMAZING sale at Jo-anne's on patterns ($1 each!!), I found a bag I thought would work and got started. It needed to be wide enough to fit scriptures and the manual on Joseph Smith, and I wanted it to have pockets to hold all of my little things. i.e. phone, pens, keys, etc. And here it is:

One of the best parts is that the stripes are just a decorative cover so I can make another cover anytime. I actually bought fabric to make a second cover, but I'm tired of this project already and I will just use it for something else. The pockets are great because I could make them any size I wanted since I was the one sewing them up. So there are pockets for pens, a perfect one for my cell phone, and other ones in different sizes for other miscellaneous items. What a relief to be done. On to the next task; a dress for Avery!

Hold On to Those Quirky Keepsakes

Do you have anything in your house that you love but never use? Something big or small, pretty and useful or ugly and useless, or any combination thereof? I have several little things that I have been working on purging from my home but there are somethings I have a hard time getting rid of. Some of those things: sarongs. I have a couple that my parents bought in Hawaii and one that I bought in Mexico. I never use these, but they are so beautiful that I have a hard time just getting rid of them. This last week I finally justified my holding on to these formerly-useless wraps:

So CUTE, right? Avery and I went to a baby shower this last week and it was all Hawaiian. I wanted to get a little festive and JOE actually came up with the idea of wrapping our little bird up. I think it turned out so adorable I just had to share pictures. And hooray for finally putting a sarong to good use!

Robby

Avery has a boyfriend. His name is Robby and he is here visiting from Bremerton, Washington. You read that right, BREMERTON! What are the chances? His dad is in the Navy and his mom grew up here so she comes to visit while he is away. I know that Avery is young, but so is he, and I know that I should not encourage their flirtation. But, tell me, how can you not smile when he is SO delighted to see her and spends all of his energy trying to hold her hand. The best part is that she just gives him these little smiles that seem to say "I'll let you hold my hand right now, but don't get used to it. I may change my mind later." I LOVE IT!

My Tweeting Birdie

Avery has gotten REALLY verbal in the last week. It is funny because she still doesn’t do it a whole lot with me, but she is the chattiest girl with her friends and her dad. I would be hurt except that I think she does it with them because she knows that she has to carry on the conversation since they won’t. Sometimes it sound like she is squealing in delight at them and having a grand ol’ time, but other times I think she is sharing all of her woes and whines. Now she really does squawk like a bird! I love that she is progressing so much but I am afraid that my baby is just growing up too fast for me.

Sorry it is so dark. It's lighter on my camera.

Sew Hard

I am trying to learn how to sew. Nothing fancy, just enough that I can put together an outfit or a costume for my kids someday. Maybe even learn to tailor or hem my own stuff when need be. I started with a simple apron. My friend, Anndalyn, has been kind enough to teach me AND let me use her machine. My other friend, Jen, is learning with me.

The apron may have been easy enough but while we were at the fabric store we had the genius idea of making them reversible. REVERSIBLE! How hard could that be? Well, 2 days and a total of 10 hours later, I finished my apron. It’s not that it was necessarily a hard project, but it was made harder by the upgrades and changes we decided to make to the existing pattern. I do, however, now feel more comfortable with a sewing machine and my abilities to figure out the how’s and what’s of the pattern. Especially if I have Anndalyn to work it with me!

Baby Shower for LeeLou

I know that I have mentioned before how much I love LeeLou's layouts. Not only are they free, but they are the cutest I have found. Today marks the day of her baby shower celebration and she is giving away TONS of free stuff. Check out her site and enter to win stuff too! There is also a Cutest Baby contest you can vote on (even though Avery did not get chosen for the final vote) and pick a new layout to spruce up your blog!

4 Months and the Doctor

To celebrate Avery's 4-month birthday, we went to the doctor to get shots! Poor baby. She started the day so happy and now she is just zonked out. While we waited at the doctor she was pleasant and smiling, unaware of what was to come. She was weighed (12 lbs 3 oz.!) and had her little muscles checked out. She is in great condition and perfect health so there was no reason to postpone the immunizations. On a side note; they ran out of one of the immunizations so I have to go in again next week. My nurse was not quite so efficient as the one last time, but the ordeal was quick and over with in about 20 seconds. Now that the trauma is over she has two shiny band-aids and a couple of sore legs to show for it. She will spend the rest of the day sleeping.


So, let me tell you about Avery's progression.


She is rolling over now. If you keep up with my blog then you saw the video a week ago. It is still exciting and I never get sick of her doing it.


She can reach out and grab stuff now. This could be her toys, her blanket, or my hair. Whatever is in reach. Yesterday, when she woke up from her nap, she was wrestling with her crib bumper. This morning, during her photo shoot, it was her giraffe!

And, of course, since she can reach and grasp it, it goes straight into her mouth. The chewing has only increased in frequency.

She is starting to giggle. It is still a new feeling for her so she tends to choke on them when they come out. It is actually really funny to hear. It is a sweet little baby laugh ending with a coughing fit. Silly.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

'Tis the Season

Since it is February, the month for love, I feel that I should share a new love of mine. Have you discovered the joy of turbotax.com? As of now my taxes are completed and submitted to the IRS. It was fast, it was easy, and it was FREE to e-file! I am elated! I have been telling Joe for the last 2 months that as soon as we got all of our documents we needed to sit down and do our taxes so that we could get our return QUICK! On Saturday I sat down and did them myself while Joe took a nap. Like I said, fast. And because I e-filed, the IRS should get my info in the next 48 hours and my refund (that will be direct deposited) could be in my account in as little as 10 days!

I should mention that I used the free option of turbotax programs. TurboTax offers fancier versions with live help and auditors if you want. Those programs cost anywhere from 15.95-39.50 I think. But if you are like me and your taxes are not fancy or complicated the free one works just fine. They will charge you, however, to file your state taxes if you decide to e-file those as well. But, if you are not in a rush, they will transfer all of your info into the state documents and let you print it up for free and mail it on your own. They still do all the work!

I know that this post is a little like a commercial, but I am just so thrilled to be done and that it was so easy to do. I wanted to share the joy. So, I love turbotax.com. They are my new Valentine this year!