Taking up a new hobby

So I've decided to pick up embroidery. Normally, when I think of embroidery, I think of flowers and handkerchiefs, so it's opened my eyes to see modern designs and cute motifs from some friends of mine. So, I decided to try my hand at it. After all, if I could whip up a bunch of little embroidered things, I could stitch them onto anything and have a fun gift for someone! I like to doodle, so I'll turn my doodles into embroidery bits.

My first project was for my nephew's second birthday. I had made him two hooded towels for Christmas, and evidently they were a huge hit and he needed more hooded towels. So, that's what I would do. But to make them a little different and personalize them a little more, I decided to put some fun embroidery on the hood.

First I headed to Wal-Mart for supplies, because that's what there is around here. I was so disappointed to find that there was nothing there for a budding embroiderer. Nothing.

Ugh. Stupid small town, I thought. But then I was expressing my discouragement to a friend, and she mentioned that she thought there was a needlework shop right between her house and mine, tucked down a small road only about a quarter mile from my house. I went to check it out, and it was the best array of embroidery thread, needles and other paraphernalia I'd ever seen! Move over Hobby Lobby! Hooray for small towns, I decided!

I went into that shop three days in a row, getting supplies, exchanging thread colors, and finally going back to show the finished product. The owner of the shop was so helpful, and then she even took pictures and put them up on her blog! How fun is that!

Here are the towels for sweet Ian. I hope he enjoys them, and I hope they don't come apart in the wash. If they do, at least the towel part will still work!

Newbie2 Coming This Fall!

Hey guess what--we're pregnant! Newbie2 is due September 9. As with Caleb, most baby info will be posted on the Newbie blog.

The Whirlwind of the Last Few Days

I would try to update you on the last few weeks, but my computer is not set up, which means I have no pictures, so I'm going to wait. Instead, I'll just talk about the last few days. Again, since I have no pictures, it will hopefully be short, with pics to follow.

Note: Jon is building a computer desk for us to share. Until then, only his computer is up. So, if you want blogs with pictures, petition my husband for the completion of the desk. At the moment it's a pile of lumber on our back porch.

On Monday, my mom and grandparents arrived to help get my house in order. I had most of the boxes unpacked, but I had gotten stuck and my lack of organization was leading to quite a bit of dismay on my part. Where to put things?? So, in swoops my mom. AND my grandmother.

I thought my grandparents would sit on the couch and watch the days unfold, but I forgot that the apple never falls far from the tree, and my grandmother is an extreme organizer/go-go-go/get-it-done kind of person just like my mom! Each woman had a project in mind in my home, and they spent the two days available to get their projects done.

By the end of the first evening, my utility room was organized and all my cabinets made sense. The next morning began two busy days of arranging, hanging, shopping, sorting, playing with Caleb, laughing, ironing, sewing, and brainstorming. It was tiring for all of us, but it was a great time!

By last night, my Grandma was satisfied that the guest bedroom was complete. She's taking my curtains home to let out the length a little for the living room windows, and she is going to buy some curtains for the guest room that weren't available here. I think she was a little disappointed that her project (the guest room) didn't have curtains up and therefore wasn't 100% complete, but it's absolutely beautiful, and might be my favorite room in the house.

Caleb's room is also fantastic. He has his own play area floored with a foam mat, and he loves it. He's so tickled to stomp around on the foam and pull out all the books. This was my mom's project room, and I hadn't even conceived of a play area, so I love it as much as Caleb!

The living room now looks more settled, with a rug to anchor the couch and coffee table. The dining area has plans for my own personal Norvell art gallery, which I'm excited about. Of course, none of my art could be in normal frame sizes, so I'll acquire that as I can. And the hallway is now beautiful gallery of family photos.

The final room was our bedroom, which was untouched until this morning. It bothered my mom that it was still just thrown together the way it was straight off the U-Haul. And I gotta say I was a little jealous of all the attention the rest of my house was getting, only to go to bed in the same-ol', same-ol'. So, before my family headed out this morning, my mom and I headed to the bedroom for some quick brainstorming. In just a short time, the furniture was moved around and things were on the wall (or planned out for the wall), and my room looked ten times better! I even have a spot for an eventual chair for my quiet times.

I'm amazed at how much has been accomplished in the last few days. There are definitely still things to be done, but I never could/would have done this if I had been given months to do it on my own. It took my whirlwind mom and my whirlwind grandmother to make it happen!

And, best of all, when they left today, my grandma had washed all the guest sheets and towels. She'd ironed the pillowcases and put all the linens back on the bed. My grandpa folded all the towels for the guest bath. Jon's parents are coming tomorrow, and everything is in order!