Food Processor Excitement

Even though this may seem sad and dorky to some, I'm very, very thrilled today. I got a new food processor! My old one broke not long ago, and it was rather limited in its functions, anyway- it didn't have the grater or slicer (it was a hand-me-down). However, I got a lot of use out of it for everything from soups to pie crusts to pesto. In my opinion, a food processor is the kitchen appliance any serious chef/cook/mom should definitely not be without.

After the old one broke, I rushed down to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get a new one. I figured I could only afford the cheapest one anyway, so there wasn't really any sense in prolonging the food processor hole in my life. When I got there, however, I discovered there was a rebate on the KitchenAid ones, which made me seriously look at the next step up of food processors. Well, then I decided I just HAD TO HAVE the next step up- and with good reason! It has a chopping blade, a dough blade, the grater, the slicer, and... a smaller bowl and blade so you can mix up small amounts of stuff (such as baby food!). Anyhoo, to make a pathetic story even longer, I finally got the 20% coupon that BBB puts out, and I have a new food processor!

Now I just need to decide what to use it for first...

Sickness Strikes Again

This time, however, I was the unfortunate recipient. I am now, 5 days later, feeling pretty good again. This was a nasty stomach bug that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies- it canceled Aaron's and Rhys's trip to Idaho and put me in the hospital for 12 hours (to rehydrate, especially since I'm pregnant). No one else around me got sick, for which I'm grateful. Needless to say, I didn't get any creative work done this weekend, as I spent most of it in bed trying to recover. We all had such great plans this weekend, too!

Valentine's Present

My two guys are flying to see Grandma and Grandpa this weekend, leaving me alone on Valentine's- but with my first break in two and a half years! Other than an occasional 6 or 8 hours (once for a ski day and once for a wedding), Rhys and I have pretty much been in close company since he was born. Most of the time, that's fine; I am a happy stay-at-home mom, after all. I'm looking forward to nearly 5 days to myself, but I'm also dreading it. Will I get bored or lonely? Probably. Will it be worth it? I think so. Plus, I have a very active baby girl who does regular kicks, punches, and flips in my tummy to keep me thinking about family. And the dog is still here. He'll even get a walk every day. He will probably be the one who won't know what to do with himself without little hands getting in his personal space all the time!

I'm sending Rhys off with a new small toy bag (with a new Thomas the Tank Engine engine inside- shhh!). I'm playing with these cool fabric crayons right now. They draw like oil pastels on cotton cloth, and are set permanent simply by ironing over paper on the color. They're lots of fun!

My husband is getting a new album (a Grammy winner). And I forgot to say above that I've already got plans for almost every day that I'm "alone", including a prenatal massage, a birthday party, and a trip to Santa Fe with a friend. I just have to remember to take advantage of the time and take it easy, too.

Two-Tiered Skirt

Since my wardrobe has gotten more and more limited as my belly has gotten bigger, I, naturally, have wanted to wear things that just won't fit me so well. I made this cute skirt a while ago, but haven't worn it yet. It has a drawstring waist so that I didn't have to deal with a zipper and a more fitted option, and it currently fits great on my hips under my belly. However, i don't have a shirt that matches that's long enough! My belly hangs out under a regular shirt and since the waist is so low, I actually show off quite a bit of skin. I was really happy with how easy this was: it is two layers of cotton fabric with bias tape hemming the bottom layer and a lacy/rick-racky edging on the hem of the top layer. I used the instructions from the Sew What? Skirts book I got last year for Christmas. I hope/plan to make more of the same sort of simple a-line skirts, but have decided to hold off until after pregnancy so that my measurements are more accurate. If only the weather were warm enough to go without leggings or tights!

Cool Artist: Jylian Gustlin

My mom sent me this website to browse. The artist also has a blog, which is pretty interesting- it's more of a visual/poetic exploration than a prose/daily account blog, and I really liked the unexpected aspect of it. The above is an image from the blog that I liked immediately.

http://www.acutedelirium.com/

New Hat

Before the holidays, I had made my son a crocheted wool hat. It was intended for my hubby, but was too small, so it became a toddler's hat. It was adorable! Unfortunately, we managed to lose it somewhere (the grocery store?), so I've made him a new one. The old one was very sophisticated in grey and black wide stripes. This one is bright green with some grey and black- a little more fun, I think.


As he is a two and a half year-old, he wouldn't look at the camera and smile, but this is probably a better view iof the hat, anyway.

Saturday... Boom or Bust? and Toy Bags

It's Saturday afternoon, and I have a sick 2 1/2 year old. Poor guy. He's running a fever and is grumpy, but the most obvious symptom that he's not feeling well is that he's lying on the couch while watching a movie. Usually the only time he's really sedentary is when he's strapped into a car seat or contained in his crib. So, he's really not feeling great.

I had scheduled my mother's helper to come over this afternoon to play with him so I could spend some uninterrupted time sewing, etc., but I called and canceled little while ago. I don't know if I'll get much done creatively today, even though Rhys is at his quietest- I'm a mommy-nurse instead!

Toy Bag
Last Christmas, Rhys got a toy bag from his great aunt Jan, and we have really loved it. It's so great to have something he can easily carry around and that holds cars, blocks, train tracks, or whatever. I decided to copy the pattern and give away these bags as presents for birthdays this year- so far with great success. Below is one for Rhys's friend Malachai, and I've given two away to our neighbors across the street. I've already got 5 or 6 bags cut out, in both girl and boy fabrics, so I'm ready to add a personalized applique and sew them up. The best thing is, they're only a little work for a big return.