Yeah, yeah!  I’m speeding through my list… it’s possible I am avoiding my mom’s gift though.  I mean seriously, who decides to make luggage?  Me.  All of the supplies are sitting in my sewing studio staring at me.  All 5 yards of fabric, 5 yards of cording & bias tape, 7 yards of various interfacings, size 20 (yes, 20!) needles, and upholstery weight thread.  Maybe I should get started soon, right?

In the avoidance meantime, I’ve finished quite a few things.

The boys Christmas hats.

A black apple doll.

A dropstitch scarf.

Jammie pants and slippers for Joey

Slippers for Ethan

Still waiting to be done are washcloths for the boys teachers (they are getting hand dyed ones with a small bundle of Indigo Wild soaps), caramel to be cooked and wrapped, a towel/napkin set for a family friend, and the outdoor fort .  It’s their big gift this year.  We told them we were building a gazebo, they are buying it for now .  We did really well on our budget too, Craigslist saved us a few times!

So, the boys Christmas is 90% handmade (the exceptions being books… sadly, I’m not a writer, and their gifts from the big jolly guy), and I want to say that the rest of the giving we do is about 60%ish handmade.  Not to shabby!

Well, $$ are running low, so while there are a few things left to do, we are calling it done for now.

I love our fishy decals.  They are so cute.

The school goes all the way around the room.

And we have our ikea shelf, it holds the diapering supplies and shoes.

I forgot to take a picture of the toy box and framed fabric… I’ll add it when I show off the big boys room.  We still need some sort of short shelving unit for a small assortment of books and toys, and a fish rug.  I am also thinking about hanging curtains where his closet doors were/should be.  We had old school sliding doors that each weighed about 200lbs, so they came down right away.

I’ll show the big boys room next

It’s my favorite season, by far. I find myself too busy though. The weather is just right to do anything and everything.

Today we are enjoying E’s first birthday.  It’s so exciting to watch him grow and take on a fantastic personality that is a very precise mix of Chris and Joey. He loves to be the spotlight of anyone’s attention, yet he is very content to study his surroundings and decide how everything feels around him before jumping in. He has a beautiful laugh, an incredible hug, and dark chocolate eyes. His favorite things to do are climb on the entertainment center and go for walks. When we walk, we are not allowed to hold his hand or his legs turn to jello cause he wants to do it himself… .

Happy birthday sweet boy.

1 year ago.

Today.

Me. I feel like I need to be doing something different to keep them healthy. Maybe it’s pitfall of having 3 kids, they share things… toys, love, GERMS. Why do I feel so guilty about it?

They eat well, get lots of exercise, have good hygiene (or as good as a mom could ask for from a 4 and 7 year old), yet it seems that every 6 weeks or so someone comes down with something. I’m not just talking about a runny nose here.

So, right now I am waiting for Joey and Ethan to get the chicken pox. Yup. Chicken. Pox. I have no idea where Chris got it, and he has been vax’d for it. The other 2 haven’t, so while I wanted this to come naturally, I’m still caught unprepared.

Wait, did I mention that Ethan had rubella or roseola on vacation (fever then body rash, so i’m not sure which)? That was extra fun. Prior to that we had the summer stomach flu, Ethan had a respiratory virus that still pops up whenever a cold arrives, and winter is on the way with more fun in store for us

Deep breath.  Perhaps I need to look into daily immune boosting supplements?

Yup. He stands alone.  Oye.  He isn’t even 9 months yet.  I need time to adjust to this.

Chris is already well into his second week of 2nd grade.  He’s reading, doing homework, and keeps begging me to let him do “mad science” afterschool.  I have no idea what that is.  He hates waking up though.  Mornings are rough, to say the least.  And his school doesn’t even start until 8:35, the latest start time in the district.  I just call Charlie, and tell him to do his work… and he gives Chris a big wet bulldog kiss.  Chris and Charlie are best buddies, so he never gets mad .

Joey is counting down to his first day.  They are on different schedules, which isn’t the easiest, but I love Joey’s school, so I deal.  He is enjoying having 1 on 1 time with Ethan.  They play so well.  They laugh like the best of friends.

As summer busyness is winding down, Paul and I are taking on house chores, finally.  Joey and Chris share a room, they are going to have khaki walls and it will be decorated with vintage games and a vintage model airplane hanging from the ceiling.

Ethan rooms alone.  He has light blue walls (the middle swatch in the pic), and goldfish decor.  We are going to be doing these fish decals in orange, i’m also going to frame some of the fish fabric I used in his quilt for picture decorations.  I am thinking about having my friend make me some stuffed goldfish for a mobile.  The before-

And Paul has begun plans for an outdoor fort.  We are still undecided on whether we want it in the avocado tree, or stand alone.   I am also finishing the upstairs bathroom this week, and getting all of the crown moulding put in upstairs and down.  It’s quite a list.

Done!  Only one little mess up that was easily fixed.  I’ll remember to very clearly label my mini skeins that come from the ends of cones… one of those little buggers made it’s way into the “to dye” pile, and messed my whole schedule up.

I found a groove though, and my Mommy’s helper is coming regularly (gotta love little sisters!) one day a week for 4 hours.  It doesn’t seem like much, but with Ethan, who is very, very needy right now, it is.  If only he would get over this summer cold and sleep through the night again, all would be well in the universe.

And now, I’m off to my sweet niece’s birthday party.  I remember taking that girl everywhere with us before we had kids.  Now she’s a big old 9 year old.  Enjoy your weekend!

Another installment of “What I’m working on Wednesday”.  This week it’s not too interesting.  I’m winding and labeling a large order, getting pictures ready for the store next week, and getting to know my new camera lens!  Paulie bought it for me for our anniversary.  55-200mm with VR, and it rocks.  I’m going to take the boys out for a little hike this afternoon and get some shots.

The boys were to busy to let me try it out when it arrived, so Charlie quietly obliged after I threw the ball a couple times for him.

Beautiful colors, and the VR really comes through when I was shooting indoors at higher ISO’s and slower shutter speeds.

Here is some yarn I wound for the large order.  It’s nice and fallish without being dark!  “Patch”

And here is some stuff for the store.  “Happiness”  It’s on a new yarn base for me, and I’m calling it aurora.  It’s merino, cashmere and nylon and it’s just amazing.  My absolute favorite for projects for me.

And I leave you with a brother smack down picture.  Ethan loves to wrestle.  It makes me so nervous.  Any time the big boys mess around, he crawls over as fast as he can to jump on top of them.

Seems I do better at an every other week thing.  I do have a couple of good projects going for this weeks wiwow.

I’ve got a purse for me (yay!) on the machine. It’s Michael Miller’s Ginger bliss line, with coordinating straps of Amy Butler’s coriander. Again, my favorite fabric ever.

I’m doing the gathered version, not the sling bag shown on the front of the pattern. From this fabric, I’ve drawn inspiration for yarn too! I should have a new green colorway ready when I return from Texas. I am hoping to take this bag with me, so I better get it done today!

I’m also working on a pair of duckies for me. The colorway is called bulldog! I am loving that they are knit with a dk/sport weight.

And last, I need to finish weaving in ends on a pair of shorts for Ethan. It’s a good thing that we have nice long summers here in so. cal. He will probably wear these well into oct/nov.

And I’ll leave with a small -very- random note of wisdom. Don’t let husbands do the laundry without very clear directions. You may be enjoying your brand new tank top in a shade of pink.

And I’m running behind trying to catch up. We’ve had a really busy couple of weeks. I’ve been at my mom’s doing chores and just hanging out (she is doing fabulous!). It’s been so nice. The boys have both become fish with all the time spent there.  They swim for hours every time we go.  Joey skills in the pool are *so* good. He’s fast too! Chris has been perfecting his dive, water treading and making sure that he can swim the entire length of the pool underwater. E loves the water too. When we ask him if he wants to splash, he swings his arms wildly!

E now has 2 teeth, with a 3rd ready to come through at any time, and he is standing alone. I was hoping for a kid who walked after 9 months, but this doesn’t look like it will be the case.

We did a beach trip last week with my best friend. She is just awesome, and loves the boys as much as they love her. It was a perfect trip. There were just a handful of people there, it was the perfect day, and we stayed for 2 hours before having dinner at a great little Mexican place in Topanga Canyon.

They found loads of half eaten crabs. I had to convince them that they wouldn’t make good souvenirs.

I’ve been working on some large yarn orders, and sewing in my spare time. I finished a bag for my sisters friend and am working on one for me now.

I’m also working on some clothes for my sweet little cousin. He’s 4 and my aunt loves the stuff I sent her when he was tiny. I’ve decided on 3 outfits, and 2 sets of jammies (interchangeable). The outfits will be firetrucks and dogs raglan with black soft corduroy cargo shorts, gator tank top with ripstop twill boardshorts, orange tank top with a reverse applique of the patchwork and patchy shorts. The jammies will be train fabrics, since they are his favorite toy .

I’m cutting this week and sewing when we get home from Texas.

Speaking of, we’re leaving on a jet plane on Thursday. Should be fun with 3 kids (add sarcasm here).

Skipped a week, but it was crazy last week! So, here is what I am working on, inspired by Tracey at Cute2Carry.

I’m working on shipping some custom fluffy goodness.

But that’s it for today! I did finish up the pile of wristlet sewing I was doing… this one is my fav. I won’t be sad if it doesn’t sell.

And we got our family pics done! I’m left feeling like those extra Ethan pounds are more apparent than I had thought, but the boys we so good about it all. There are some great shots and I can’t wait to put them up all over our house!

Tara did such a fabulous job! You can see her blog here and her site here (and if you look at the baby in the blue bucket on her blog, that’s E!).